False Pretense
by CataclysmicReality
Summary: At 19 years, Sakura is in trouble. The fate of the cards hang in the balance due to a threat from Clow's past. Unfortunately, as hunter and hunted vie for dominance over the other, it is doubtful she will survive the experience.
1. Prologue: Light and Darkness

**False Pretense**

**Chapter 1**

Tokyo

Morning

As the first rays of light breached the peak of the horizon, all was quiet over the city. Over all the houses and streets, everything was the epitome of peace. It was a dawn of tranquility. And as the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon, they bathed the sleeping face of another peaceful figure.

She lay on her bed as though she hadn't a care in the world. Her soft pillow almost invisible as it was covered so thoroughly by her rich volumes of flowing hair. Her face was equally covered, and she was curled slightly in bed, a fact that masked her true appearance beneath her silken sheets.

As additional rays of light filtered into her room, one could see it much better. It was different than that of the one she had at her father's house. It was much bigger, and had an attached bathroom and closets. Dressers were neatly aligned on one side of the room, with a place for cosmetics and perfumes and the like. While the other side of her room was mainly dominated by a seemly uncharacteristic study desk and a hefty shelving of books largely dominated by those of varying histories and mythologies, that which looked out of place and more fitting of a library or museum.

Among the books were both ancient and new texts, some of the older languages and other meaningful transcripts. One easy similarity of these books was their age and relative sense of drab. Only one book would stop the eye. It was a fairly bright colored book, and read only a name on its side; Sakura.

Click-

Music began to pour from the bedside alarm clock. There was a slight yelp from the head board of the bed, and one of the small plush animals fell to the floor. The covers on the bed shuddered, but the figure did not get up. Instead, she simply reached out to the device, and turned it off. She retracted her arm, and then everything was still once more.

She closed her eyes tight. It was too bad… up until the alarm she was having a good dream. She was attempting to return to it, but there was an annoyed grumbling that was preventing that. She felt something small prodding her in her side. Uncaring, she rolled over to her other side.

"Sakura."

She felt another slight jab to her side. She contorted her face, eyes still closed, and rolled back to the other side.

"Sa-ku-ra."

The voice was louder this time, and this time the source was standing on her hand. She flipped her hand slightly, and heard a small thud and a disgruntled noise. She rolled back over. It was starting to become clear that sleep was something that might not happen.

"SAKURA!"

The voice was very loud, and right in her ear. She knew that it was pointless. Slowly she opened her eyes. Standing in front of her face was a very indignant golden plush toy with wings and a tail. He wasn't looking too happy. She smiled.

"Good morning, Kero…chan."

"'Good morning' won't work on me! Didn't you say to make sure you woke up early?" He demanded with clenched fist and a reddening face.

She still regarded him with a sleepy expression. Confusion was etched across her face. "What? Why?" She rubbed her eyes, attempting to wake. "I thought you liked sleeping in?"

"I do… but aren't you meeting with that 'kid' today?" He made sure to accent the word heavily.

"Syaoran!" She gasped, her eyes now fully open. In her rush, she bolted upright in bed. Kero was thrown from the movement, and slowly slid down the wall after having collided with it very hard. Without a second glance she looked at the time on the clock. Not good… she was running out of time… TIME! That's it!

Kero was now flying around her, yelling something, but she ignored him. If she didn't hurry, she might be late… and that's not something that she wanted to do. She threw off her covers and sheets, and quickly straightened her nightgown and went to her bookshelf. She quickly pulled the bright Sakura book from the shelf and opened it on the desk. She swept her hair out of her face and started shuffling through the cards that she had pulled out of the pages. After a few seconds, a cheerful expression crossed her face, and she pulled out one that was titled "TIME" on its bottom. "Please… if you would."

"Sakura, what are you do-" Kero stopped prematurely as the card in her hands had responded with a glow, and then an energy that permeated reality, thus freezing everything in that instant.

"Thank you." She breathed to the card. She set it down and went to her dresser and started pulling out various items of clothing. She looked over to Kero's small, unmoving form and smiled. _Sorry, _she thought, _but right now you don't need to be a part of this._ She smiled to herself and went back to her preparations.

* * *

Kero was still frozen in a flying, scolding stance when the time around him and the rest of the world resumed. "-ing… AHH!" He knew he was looking right at her a moment ago, and now she was gone! _She must have used the Time card… _He sighed. He turned around and yelped again. The bed was made and the room was transformed… well, as transformed as a room becomes when there are articles of clothing lying around and well, the usual things that lie strewn about when females are planning to go somewhere.

In the background, the shower turned on behind the closed bathroom door. He sighed again and sat on the bed. _So she only used the card up until she needed the running water?_ He put his face into his hands (if you could call them that) and shook his head. Matters were much simpler with Clow Reed… but at least the times here were more enjoyable.

He had begun to reminisce in his mind, when thoughts of the Bubble card, and how Sakura had started to use it just like Clow, woke him from his thoughts. He was on the verge of fuming when he heard an electronic beep from behind him. Startled, he looked behind him cautiously, and stared at the device on the wall.

The device was new to both of them. Tomoyo had just given it to them the other week, saying that it was a new product from her mother's company, and she was testing it out. Although unlike the previous items that she had given them, this was much larger. It was like a TV, it definitely had a small LCD screen for that, but there was an array of buttons beneath that, and a small camera-type panel at the top of the screen. It was fastened flat to the wall, and while it wasn't as versatile as the phones… it was also used for communication in some way. He flew up to take a look.

There was a small red button that was flashing, and a small digital display panel that said: 'Incoming call.' He pushed the button.

BING-

"EEEeecCKK!" He flew backwards as the screen lit up. On it was a beautiful young woman with long straight black hair, and soft and kind facial features. She looked right at him.

"Oh… Kero-chan… is Sakura there?"

"T-tomoyo…" he let out a relieved sigh, "don't scare me like that."

"Oh… " She thought about it and smiled, "I guess that was your first time with the communicator, right? Hehe… I forgot."

"She should be around. She's just in the shower… she still has a lot to do." He looked towards the bathroom door.

Tomoyo clasped her hands together with wistful longing. "She's… in the shower." She let out a sigh. "How lovely… Sakura-chan!"

Kero looked at the blushing Tomoyo but said nothing. After all these years, though he never truly figured it out, he was used to that bizarre behavior.

"Kero… I thought I just heard Tomoyo-ch…" Sakura stood in the doorway of the bathroom wrapped in a thick towel and drying her hair with another. She had stopped in mid-sentence and turned to the communicator. "Oh… ok… never mind then." The revelation past, she started to walk into the room.

A small smile crept across Tomoyo's face. "Beautiful."

Sakura looked up at the screen. "Huh?"

Tomoyo was all starry eyed now. "So… beautiful. My Sakura is beautiful in a towel."

"Eh!" Sakura blushed and stepped back. "A-a-at least you don't have your video camera on you…"

"Hehehe… I don't need one, since this unit has a record option!"

Sakura turned somewhat white.

"Now I can see all your best moments while I'm away!"

Sakura smiled. "Sorry…"

"Eh?"

"…but not today." Sakura became very serious and lowered her head. "Dark…" She looked over to the desk. "Let it happen."

All eyes turned to the desk as one of the cards from the assortment started to glow and stood up on edge. It started to spin on a corner and went faster. When that happened, the card disappeared from their vision, as did the desk, and soon most of the room… concealed perfectly in a thick darkness.

"Aww… that's not fair…" Tomoyo said when her Sakura faded from her sight. She sighed. "Well… maybe next time."

"Maybe. Perhaps when you come home." Sakura, despite being in the dark room could still see enough to see the communicator. Her voice turned curious. "When are you coming home anyways? You've been away for a while now."

"Hopefully soon. As a representative for my mother's new communications branch from her toy company, it's important for me to travel extensively… so maybe when my current pitch to the consumers is done." She smiled cheerfully. "But I trust you can take care of our apartment, so I'm not worried!"

Sakura smiled.

"I have to run now, good luck with today; I know you've been looking forward to it!"

The communicator switched off, the digital display reading 'Call End'. Sakura sighed. Though she loved Tomoyo deeply, she was never sure what her cousin was thinking. She was an odd one… but her love echoed that of her mother's, so it was pretty natural. After all, Sakura's mother was loved much in the same way.

"I'm sure that's fine. Thank you Dark." The darkness slowly retreated back to the card, and it sunk back to the desk.

She crossed the room and sat at her table. She looked into the mirror and sighed. In the background Kero had turned on one of his console games, and was getting heavily involved with that. She took the towel off her head and let her damp hair cascade down her back. Despite the feelings she got that made her certain that her mother was truly happy, and that she should be happy as well… she has only felt her sense of longing for her mother strengthen, as she saw less of her childhood self, and more of what everyone else saw.

It was true. The years had gone by, and at 19 years of age, she looked like a reflection of her mother. If not for her height, her face, and her long bangs, she would pass completely. But she was not Nadeshiko. She wasn't anyone other than her self. A meaning she wasn't aware of until she had met Clow Reed himself.

Taking a moment from her preparations, she opened her hands and stared at her palms. Was there really a power to create good? She wasn't sure of the answer. She thought that perhaps it was in everyone's best interest that she get stronger and better suited to using her magic. She just didn't want to let anyone down.

"Are you ok?"

She jumped, taken by surprise at that which just broke her reverie. "Ah… sorry… you just kind of startled me." She sighed again and looked away from the mirror.

"Is that all?" Kero took a second to look up. "Isn't today supposed to be a good day? It isn't everyday you take a time to leave your studies behind to pursue a personal interest." He ended with a smirk, and focused again on his game.

"No… I guess not." She swallowed. There were too many things nagging her these days. "But is it still ok? If my magic is needed, will I be able to use it at the level I should be at?" She got up and began to pace about the room as though looking for something.

Kero didn't glance up, but he looked smug regardless. "Of course. There's nothing you can't do with your abilities."

"Yeah… but where's the proof of that?"

"Sakura… ever since you accidentally made that one card; you've made lots of others and other changes as well. You should be proud of yourself; even Clow Reed wasn't beyond the level you've reached." He watched as she went briskly to the bed and started to sort through her various garments, and then he went back to playing his console game. She went back to her table and sat down.

"Thanks… but I don't feel it. I feel as though I still need to work harder… that there's something I have yet to do. Maybe that's why I'm still working on it…" She put a scrunchie in her mouth as she attempted to tame her hair with the brush. "Itsh jusch that I'd 'eel 'etter 'eing 're'ared."

He looked up at her, confused. "Huh?" In the background his game crashed from his lack of attention. Disgruntled, he turned it off and flew up to the table.

"I sincerely doubt that there is much more 'to' do. You've already provided the cards with a home they love. You've become a friend of both guardians of the cards. You've created your own cards. You've unlocked a potential that enables you to call forth the powers of the cards with little effort. And you have a firm support group that cares for, and protects, you." He crossed his arms, apparently satisfied.

"I guess your right." Her worries seemed to lift slightly, and she allowed a small smile. "I guess all that needs to be done is finish getting dressed and assign an appropriate house sitter to watch things while I'm out." She picked up a light blue dress and went to one of her closets. _I guess I just worry too much about nothing._

Satisfied, she picked up her dress, and closed the door.

* * *

England

Location unknown (some time later)

Sparks and glowing embers filled the air as the remnants of a broken tool rained upon those clutched in the darkness of late twilight. Five figures surrounded that of a young man whom was holding the broken shaft of a magic staff while he lay on the floor. He tasted blood in his mouth, and a series of bruises and gashes marred his handsome features.

"Eriol…" A voice broke the silence… one thick with a bottled rage and a darkened air of loathing. "No… the reincarnated form of Clow Reed. We have found you at last."

Another figure moved forward. "The cards… where are they?"

"Heh…" Eriol spat up some of the blood in his throat. "What might you be referring to?"

"Don't be foolish boy. We did not travel to England to listen to you play the fool."

A third voice cut in. "The Clow cards… your cards. You have them. They are what we desire."

Eriol raised himself up on an elbow, using the broken staff for support. He smiled.

"You little bitch!" A fourth member of the group said as he kicked Eriol hard in the side. Eriol went skidding across the floor, coming to rest at the feet of the leader.

"Come now… that's no way to extract information." He placed his boot on the head of Eriol and started to press down. "You skip the ribs… and threaten to break the skull. Perhaps if lucky, you'll squeeze out what you want prior to his death."

The circle burst out into laughing.

Through clenched teeth Eriol managed a faint voice. "Wa… wait."

"Oh? You'll talk now?"

"The… the Clow cards… are no more." He started hacking up blood. "You're too late."

"Which means that you've either destroyed those you made with all of your heart… or, they've simply changed ownership." He stopped to stroke his beard a moment. "Yes. That's the only thing it can be."

Eriol writhed on the ground. His cool and calm demeanor couldn't save him now. With mere moments left to hold his life force, he was running out of time…

The leader stepped forward. He looked at the pitiful form of Eriol and sneered. "Though the information you have must be invaluable, it is of no consequence if we kill you here. Good bye… Clow Reed."

With that, he stomped down hard. "It has come to this. The ownership of the cards has switched to another. With that known, the tracks have once again to show themselves. But there is no shame in searching, for that's what it is we long for. The thrill of the hunt."

That said, they dispersed into the night.

In the wallowing darkness they left behind, the battered form of Eriol… was cold… and unmoving.


	2. Syaoran

Chapter 2: Syaoran

Sakura had finished her morning preparations and was now getting ready to leave the house. Once gone, she and Tomoyo's apartment would be empty for the remainder of the day… which wasn't a good thing. Fortunately for her, she had the perfect house sitter a card away.

"Mirror, if you would…"

Like the countless times before, the mirror formed and out of it stepped herself.

"Yes?" Asked Sakura's reflection as she ended with a knowing grin. The silvery dress swished enchantingly about.

Sakura blushed. She brushed one of her two long bangs from her face. "Um… I'm… stepping out this afternoon. To see Syaoran." Her counterpart waited patiently. "And… if you would, could you watch the apartment for me? You can invite some of your friends over if you'd like."

The last part of the statement made her reflection smile even more. It was a rather unexpected development, but other the years of filling in for Sakura, she had made some of her own friends as well. After all, she was only a reflection… so her voice, personality, and mannerisms were completely different. It was only once in a while that she got to see them.

"Of course. I'd be happy to."

Sakura clasped her reflection's hands. "Thank you." She looked at her. "I figured that you wouldn't want to house-sit too dressed up, so I thought I'd let you stay casual for the moment. If you want, feel free to spruce up later."

Mirror-Sakura looked on as Sakura turned about and hurried back to her room. She knew that Sakura had a few finishing touches to make, so she decided to busy herself with picking up the main room. She couldn't have guests over with the place being a mess.

* * *

Sakura decided to attempt just one more round with her makeup before heading out. She mentally tallied up each item as it came to completion. 

_Hmmm… a little lip gloss, a touch of eye shadow, a mist of perfume, a subtle ribbon…there. I think that about covers it._

She slipped on a slight jacket –just in case Syaoran wanted to take her through the gardens again – put a few cards in her jacket pocket, tucked her key around her neck just in case anything unexpected popped up, and slipped on some white dress sandals.

"Hmmm… that should just about do it." She said as she checked her dress for any strings or the like.

"I still think you prep too much for the likes of him…" Said Kero with a bored voice as he flew around her. "You never seem to put much effort in when we go out for some sweets… and everyone knows that that is more cause for such things…"

She plucked him out of the air. She smiled, causing him to gulp.

"Perhaps… But I think that if I were to do something like that… then someone else would have to go a few more rounds with the bubble card. Just to make things fair."

"On second thought…" He laughed nervously. "I think casual is perfectly suiting for such trips… "

She cast him a look before letting him go. "Uh huh… Well then." She pulled a card from her jacket. It had a heart with wings and a crown on it. She held it excitedly.

Around the corner she saw herself talking animatedly on the phone with one of her friends. Sakura waved and her reflection waved back, mouthing 'Have fun'. She winked and then whisked away to another room. Sakura smiled and readied herself.

"My heart is true, but missing its cue, take me forth to where my love is due!" A magic wind swirled about her before swallowing her completely. When the winds subside, she is no longer in her apartment, she isn't even in Japan. She's in China… in a different room altogether.

* * *

Syaoran fought hard. Normally it would not have gone on as long, but today everything was moving against him. The opponents weren't like the normal ones he's fought before… there were more, and they were better organized. Worse of all… he had been disarmed early. 

The sweat that rolled off his body would have drenched his shirt… had it not been discarded already. He brushed away some wet hair before blocking several advances. It wasn't enough. Soon his eyes were stinging and his vision blurred. It was in his eyes… and he couldn't afford to blink.

He blocked a few more jabs before taking one in the ribs. One of the swordsmen took this chance to advance. He thrust the sword straight at Syaoran's exposed abdomen… and found purchase.

Syaoran felt the coldness of the sword thrust into his stomach. He gasped from the pain and doubled over. In a last ditch effort, he grabbed the blade with his hands and jerked it from its previous owner. He then spun about and drove his foot into the face of his attacker. He smiled. He had a weapon, and with one down, the tides of this battle had turned… so long as he remain standing, victory would be his.

The seven remaining warriors were taken back. In a heartbeat, assured victory had been stolen from their grasp and reinvigorated their target.

Syaoran could hardly see, but he could sense the mood change. Now was the time to strike… delay would only be met with failure.

They could see now. All sense of abandon was driven out of the man before them. A charge would be the expected attack… and one driven by rage.

It was time… it had to be time. Now is the time. Now, now, now… "NOW!" Syaoran cut loose and flung himself at the blurred shapes around him.

* * *

Sakura saw the scene unfolding below her and smiled. 

She watched as Syaoran rushed his opponents with his sword high. She had seen scenes such as this before, and it always made her feel hot. The flutter that had been absent within her chest for these last few months was back with a vengeance.

Despite his injuries… she wasn't worried. As frightful as this could be for an outsider, she understood well. Plus; Syaoran wouldn't lose to anyone… except her.

However, the crowds in front of her felt otherwise. She could see it in their body language. They thought it was hopeless. She was lucky that she appeared without detection. It only meant that things could be more fun.

* * *

Syaoran collided with someone head on. It wasn't clear to him what his plan was… he seemed to be making it up as he went. Luckily, that minor blow was enough to stagger his opponent and gave an additional opening. He took it. 

Using his forward momentum, he dislodged his opponent's sword from his hand and used the hilt to render him unconscious.

The next swordsman went down twice as fast, from a reverse parry side-strike maneuver.

The third and final swordsman backed up in terror. Syaoran was howling like a maniac, and had a powerful bloodlust that made him invincible. The only thing the man could think to do was attempt to block the incoming blow.

With all his might, Syaoran swung upwards. The resulting forced collision resounded through the air as both blades shattered.

* * *

Sakura winced. 

A few seconds after his recovery, and Syaoran was like a demon.

In a matter of moments, he had successfully taken down two of the remaining three swordsmen, and had just destroyed both his and his adversary's sword.

Her eyes followed the pieces of wood as they fell like rain around the arena.

Seriously… he took these fights as though they were real. Only in training could you expect to recover from a direct blow to the stomach… and the strength of these wooden training swords isn't meant to take this level of abuse.

She shook her head.

* * *

Syaoran shook his head. 

The third guy was an easy target after losing his weapon. Training or not, if you aren't prepared to go with your hands, then there's little hope for your victory.

_Hmmmm… four shapes left…_

_Well then, this should be easy._

* * *

Sakura was getting bored of watching. All the real excitement was over, and now that there was no contest… she might as well go down for a visit. 

She started moving forward.

People in the crowd who weren't paying attention were somewhat confused when an elegantly dressed girl walked amongst them.

As she passed down through the aisles hardly anyone paid attention. Most were simply too busy watching Syaoran take down his remaining opponents. She didn't seem to mind… that would make things that much easier for her. She reached into her jacket pocket…

"L-lady Sakura…"

She heard the voice and turned back briefly with a finger to her lips. She winked at Mr. Wei, and then proceeded to the side of the arena. With no one to stop her, she jumped down.

* * *

Syaoran was tired, but it was worth it. He delivered a finishing kick to the side of his last adversary, who feel heavily to the ground. He dimly noted the subtle applause around the arena… but couldn't enjoy it. 

Despite the win, he had to rely on instincts alone at the end. His eyes burned from the dust and sweat, and he couldn't see much of anything. He mentally chided himself for his weakness.

Suddenly he heard a faint footstep directly behind him. Thinking it to be a revived enemy, he pivoted about on his heel and lashed out with a vicious side kick.

* * *

A collective gasp went out among the audience as Syaoran's kick was about to connect with Sakura's side. Despite their worries, she seemed perfectly fine. And to prove it, she smiled.

* * *

Syaoran felt his kick connect, but was stunned to realize that it was blocked! Without hesitation, he twisted and punched out in line with his target's face. Without so much of an effort, this new person caught his wrist and ceased his complete forward momentum. It was only then that he realized that not only was this person female… but she was wearing perfume too… 

"Heh…" He smiled. "You're late… Sakura."

Sakura smiled even though she knew that he wouldn't see it. "Am I? I wouldn't know about that." She gave a small laugh. "After all, you can't rush beauty."

He seemed to relax, yet still stood in his offensive stance, fist still held firmly with an inhuman strength.

"Power card… eh?" His vision was slowly returning. "Despite that… strength isn't everything."

"Oh yeah? Then maybe you'd like to show me your everything?"

He smiled. "Sure. Sometimes… " He slipped his leg behind hers and tensed his arm. "… tactics… are all you need!" With that, he twisted around and used his momentum to throw her over his shoulder onto the ground. She landed on her back; her hair fanned out behind her, and started to giggle. He straddled her and pinned her down. He wiped the grime from his eyes and brought his face within inches of hers.

She smiled as she spoke. "You know, I still have the abilities of that card. I could get out of this anytime."

"Yes… I'm sure you could. But the question is whether you'd want to do such a thing or not."

She stared into his eyes. "I'm sure you know the answer to that." She paused, "At least I would hope so."

Gods, he thought, she is so beautiful. He bent closer to her, so that their lips were hovering apart.

"-Ahem.-" They heard the noise behind them and practically sprung apart. "Li 'iron heart' Syaoran… what would your sisters say if they saw you now?"

Syaoran was already kneeling before the figure in front of him, while Sakura was lazily lifting herself up from the ground.

"M-mother… " Syaoran bowed his head. "I… I apologize for my actions."

"Well… " She started bemused. "Such suggestive actions have both their own time and place… and… " She gestured around the packed stadium. "I'm sure you had forgotten that you had an audience."

Both he and Sakura blushed at this fact. So enchanted with each other, they had forgotten about everyone else. It did make for a rather embarrassing moment…

Sakura bowed her head. "It is an honor to see you again, Mrs. Li. I hope that you'll excuse my behavior… it was a bit of misplaced fun."

"No… it's rather that with the distance against you, I had thought that you may want to bond in a more privacy friendly atmosphere." She looked into Sakura's eyes as she spoke. "As for now, will you join me within the gardens?"

"Of course, " she said, hand against Syaoran's arm. She added a genuine smile. "We'd love to."

* * *

A/N just so you aren't confused by it, when Sakura did that little rhyme, she was just being silly... it really wasn't needed to get thecard to work. I'll probably continue writing regardless, but if you want to give a review, it may motivate me to release segments faster. 


	3. False Serenity Part I

Chapter 3: False Serenity (Part I)

Sakura and Syaoran's mother walked side by side out of the stadium and into the hall. Syaoran had already excused himself momentarily, so he could hit the showers. He promised them he'd meet them in the gardens. So his mother thought that she'd take Sakura on a slight detour.

As soon as they entered the hall, his mother began asking her various questions. Nothing too intrusive of course… just they normal things. How are you? How are your father and brother? Are you well? Those kinds of things.

They went through the double doors at the end of the hall and entered into a new wing of the house.

"So Sakura, Syaoran has told me that you are now at the university level, Tokyo University was it?" Mrs. Li prompted.

Sakura smiled. Though she only met her several times in her life, they were on very good speaking terms, and had no trouble when it came to engaging in long conversations.

"That would be correct."

"And what was it you were studying?"

"History." Sakura turned and smiled. There was more. "Also, mythology and ancient civilizations. I have been taking several courses in Latin and other languages as well as amassing a fair collection of books of my own. I've discovered that studying other forms of belief and the way of an older society has given me a better understanding of the cards and their abilities." She paused, thinking of the cards and their personalities… as well as those that she has created. "And I've just tried to do my best… and I fear that if I pause to rest I may fail them… and the people I love."

Syaoran's mother let out a laugh. She stopped and put a reassuring hand on Sakura's shoulder. "I think of all the people I can imagine, you are the best suited for such a task." She took back her arm and started to walk again. "Certainly, my son could not have done better."

Sakura blushed. She remembered all the things Syaoran had told her during the trials of capturing the cards. "I don't know. I think he would have been ok."

Mrs. Li smiled, her bangs hiding her eyes. "All in all, his attitude and the way he thinks has changed for the better. And that is something that I attribute solely to you."

Sakura beamed internally. She looked down at the ground.

"Thank you."

* * *

Mirror Sakura was animatedly talking with several of her friends in Sakura's apartment when the door bell rang. She turned to the three girls that were sitting around her on the couch. 

"One moment everyone… I'll go see who's at the door." She got up and turned to face them again. "Don't do anything that Rika would."

Her friend Rika blushed and got mockingly indignant. "Don't worry… I'm sure everyone will strive to fail at my expectations of them."

They started giggling a bit.

"Um, weren't you getting the door?"

Mirror Sakura blushed. "Um… yeah… I'm on it."

There was more giggling as she left the room and went down the stairs. She crossed another room and then went to the door. She pulled it open.

In front of her was a medium sized crate. Behind that was the delivery man who offered a pen and a clipboard with a delivery confirmation paper. She took both items and looked over the crate.

It was strange; she knew there was nothing ordered… so this must be mail. Her eyes strayed to the postage mark. Something seemed to be missing. She frowned.

"Odd… there is no return address."

The man nodded. "Yes, that and the fact that it was sent out several hours ago… someone must want you to have this without delay."

She nodded. It wasn't part of the normal routine, but she signed for it anyways, and thanked the man before dragging it inside. She set it on a table for later. She briefly thought about contacting Sakura but decided against it. It was both their days for some fun.

She felt the top of it for a moment. There was something about it she couldn't place. She was just about to look it over some more when something large crashed upstairs.

Without a second glance at the crate, she ran up the stairs. She didn't know what they were up to, but she was pretty sure that she needed to stop them from wrecking the place.

The crate sat untouched.

* * *

Syaoran came out of the bathroom in a towel. He wasn't completely dry yet, but he felt much better now. 

He wasn't planning on it originally, but he needed that fight to help him relax. He couldn't just come out and say that the thought of meeting with Sakura had made him nervous. So to pass the time, he thought he would engage in a little exercise…

Exercise yes. That brutal training session… no.

In the end, that thing had gotten completely out of control. He was aware that he should have stopped… but as the heir of the Li clan, that option was out of the question. He started to dry his hair using the second towel around his shoulders.

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. Not bad. His muscular tone had improved. He was well defined in the chest, abdomen, back, and arms. He wondered what Sakura was thinking when she saw him fight.

He thought a moment about when he knocked her to the ground. She was so perfect. The way she was laying there…

_I should have kissed her…_

He thought about the situation. _Oh well…_ He sighed.

He heard a deep intake of breath behind him… and before he could turn, a deafening voice yelled his name.

"SYAORAN!"

It was so loud it caused him to jump.

He turned sharply to face the person.

* * *

Sakura had finished her tour of the halls and proceeded with Mrs. Li out to the forward section of the gardens. 

They walked through the doors and onto the patio portion of the gardens. They walked underneath the rose arbors and past the sentry fountains. Water lilies littered the ponds and a flowering moss grew between the stones beneath their feet. Various types of flora grew all around them.

While Sakura took in the sights and smells, she couldn't help to think what was keeping Syaoran. She eyed a couple of the benches and sat down as a lady would.

Both she and Syaoran's mother had nothing to say.

Sakura closed her eyes and enjoyed the breeze.

* * *

The girl before him had long black hair that went down to the small of her back. She wasn't elaborately dressed, but had something light and summer-ish. She had sandals on and both her finger and toe nails were painted bright red. Her lips were red too, and her hair set in thick braids. 

She had eyes that could pierce the soul and a face that could shame an angel. She had her hands on her hips and wore a look of ferocious sincerity. She smiled.

He sighed. "Oh, Meirin, it's just you."

She scowled. "Just me? Just me?" She took her hands from her hips and playfully swatted him.

"Here I am… I take all my time out of my busy life to see you today, and you tell me 'it's just you'? Where do I rank in your life anyway?"

Syaoran smiled. "Probably not as high as you'd like."

Meirin closed her eyes and waved him off. "It's not like it matters anyways. Once upon a time… all I could ever think about was you. But I like who you are with, and I have someone else entirely."

"Yes, how is he doing?"

Meirin's entire attitude shifted with that question. "Ah… he's perfect… uh… I mean he's good, or doing well. Yeah, that's it."

She suddenly hurried to his side. "Speaking of which, why aren't you with Sakura?"

He was rooting around in his closet. He spoke to her without looking over his shoulder. "Well, I'd be out there now… but I can't seem to find my clothes."

Meirin seemed to get frustrated. "Gods you're slow. You know that that is going to be your downfall someday… I already have your clothes out for you." She pointed at his bed, where she had piled some clothes before. "Now then… get going!"

"Sure… just one thing…"

"Yes?" She smiled, expecting a nice comment or the like.

He gestured to his towel. "Could you leave the room? I'd kind of like to be able to change now… "

"Feh. You're welcome."

With that, she left.

* * *

Sakura was still in the garden enjoying the serenity of the situation when Syaoran arrived. 

He was dressed in a pair of brown slacks and a white short sleeve shirt with three buttons beneath the collar. All three were unbuttoned. The thought of his body made her blush.

He must have seen her blush because his face turned red as well.

_Great… _thought Sakura. She looked over to Mrs. Li, who seemed politely oblivious to their antics. _This is kind of awkward…_ She looked down, trying to make it look as though she was interested in something off the path.

Syaoran came over and bowed toward his mother. "I'm sorry mother."

A bemused looked crossed Mrs. Li's face. "For what?"

Syaoran straightened. "Well, you requested that we meet you in the gardens, yet I've wasted much of your time… that is, I'm late."

"And that you are…"

"But… " Syaoran quickly interjected. "I'm not entirely at fault… Meirin was distracting me, she-"

Sakura snapped her head up. She looked excited. "Meirin? Meirin's here? Where…?" She began looking around.

"Well, she left by the time I finished changing." Sakura's face fell. "She's sure to be around somewhere…"

Mrs. Li stood. "Be that as it may, you are here now." She crossed over to where Syaoran was standing. "…If you must know," She straightened his collar. "I said to join me so you would meet us faster." She looked over to Sakura.

Sakura looked momentarily confused and then seemed to understand. Syaoran continued to look unsure.

"Didn't I tell you in the arena that distance was already against you?" She started to walk by but put her hand on his shoulder. She leaned closer and whispered, "You needn't add time to that list." She continued walking, letting her hand slide off.

Syaoran turned around, still trying to think while speaking his thoughts.

"But… you, Sakura… didn't you?" He had pointed at her first and then pointed at Sakura, before ending up more confused.

His mother held up a hand. "We've already had plenty of time to catch up. I think we've mostly run out of things to say." She looked back at Sakura. "It was fun. Do try to come around again more often. You'll always be welcome here."

Sakura felt her cheeks growing warm. "Thank you." She said slowly, and then perked back up. "I'll do my best!"

Mrs. Li simply smiled and walked away.

* * *

A/N: Well then, thanks for the reviews, they definitely changed how I was approaching these next coupled segments. Originally I was going to make this current chapter a little bigger and submit later... but I decided to split the ideas some more. This way there will be more releases in less time. Hope that keeps people interested. Let me know what you think. 


	4. False Serenity Part II

Chapter 4: **False Serenity** (Part II)

Sakura looked into Syaoran's face. He looked back. They both seemed to have words on the tip of their tongues.

They both opened their mouths to speak. "So…" They both uttered at the same time. They blushed and looked down. Then Sakura started to giggle. Syaoran started to laugh as well.

An outsider would best mistake their behaviors as one a child may exhibit. It would greatly shock them to know that they are legal adults. But then… foolish behavior is a mere side effect of love.

Sakura was the first to make a recovery. "Would you…" She inquired, "…like to take me for a walk?" She smiled and cocked her head to the side.

Syaoran's eyes followed one of her bangs as it fell across her face as she said that. He mentally shook himself and then bowed to her. "Of course," He came out of it and offered and arm, "for my lady…? Anything."

She giggled and took his arm. She leaned in close as she walked beside him.

"Where to then?"

She sighed. "Anywhere would be good for me, as long as I stay with you."

"Then let's go somewhere special."

"Ok."

* * *

Sakura laughed as she spun around in circles with her arms out. "Wheee! It feels like I'm dancing in a cloud!" She thought about it for a moment. "That… or I'm spinning around in the mist from a waterfall!"

Syaoran smiled, being reinvigorated by her gentle spirit. "I'd go with the second option… if I were you." He thought about it a little longer. "Or if I was really you, the first choice wouldn't be far off either."

He laughed to himself as she continued to spin about like a little kid. He was just enjoying the moment by sitting off to the side while she played.

This was his favorite spot aside from the gardens. It was also one of the more difficult of places to reach, but that's what made it special. Here was the perfect place to be alone.

To him, it was just like Sakura; perfect in everyway.

He remembered when he had first found it. Hidden behind a dense section of bamboo, was a small open area with a waterfall and a refreshing pool. Around the pool was grass that was dry and beyond the mists from the falls, and various large rocks, and even a rock face for climbing.

It was well past the gardens, further into the exterior of their lands. He wasn't sure if anyone else knew of it.

It was a perfect spot to get away. He spent many hours of his youth training, meditating, and relaxing here. Close enough to home, yet far enough away that privacy was something in abundance. He glanced around a moment longer before returning his gaze to Sakura.

She was still spinning like a fool. He shook his head and smiled. Like a fool… but a beautiful one.

His face grew somber as he thought about her and her lifestyle. Ever since she had finished catching the cards, things moved at a much faster pace. Right away she had to go through the trials of changing the cards, and facing the challenges that Eriol forced upon her. Which was hard enough.

After that, she accidentally created a card when she was afraid of letting go without saying good bye. She still has that bear too. It's a bit worn… but that hardly matters to her.

Then there were the years of adolescence when her powers and abilities started to fluxuate. He had never seen her more scared. He thought that it had been so close… that he had almost lost her to herself. It was just too much energy too soon in her life… and her body paid the price.

With that ordeal behind her, everything changed. She began training her mind by working harder in school and spent long hours researching the magical communities of old. Something that since then, she has decided to dedicate her life to. However… one can't simply exercise their mind… to obtain magical fortitude, it was necessary to train her body as well.

When she reached that conclusion, even more changes were needed. With a heavy heart, she put aside her baton and left her beloved cheerleading squad behind. Her friendships remained… but it wasn't enough for what her body demanded.

Since then she has participated in many sports; volleyball, basketball, football (soccer), and track and field.

Of those, she found a particular interest in track. She was good too. Not so much of a sprinter, she did best in the distance runs. She had inherited her father's endurance, and with a steady pace and long strides, she could hold her own in any race.

Then there were her pastimes…

Ever since she played the hyme for the cards, she thought of the melody of the keys. When she was weakened to a state bordering death, she decided that if she could, she'd learn to play the piano, and learn it well.

Upon her recovery, she was driven.

With the helped of her brother, and an occasional visit by Eriol, as well as her own stubborn determination… she was able to succeed. It took her many months, but her efforts proved worthwhile. It was this skill that most likely strengthened her resolve to survive. While the studies and the exercise honed her mental and physical capacities respectfully, her ability to play the piano enhanced her soul.

All in all, her efforts were not in vain. She soon was at a level of her own. Her magical ability easily surpassed that of Clow Reed's… she was a gifted athlete… and her educational marks were so high that she had entered into the university level early.

Syaoran briefly wondered if there was anything she couldn't do…

Suddenly, he frowned. Wasn't she dizzy yet? He leaned forward just as she began to step on some of the rocks.

"Sakura… be careful." He called out. "Those rocks could be slipp…" Too late…

In a mad dash, he rushed forward.

* * *

Sakura wasn't sure why, but she was having a lot of fun just spinning. Perhaps it was because it was such a refreshing feeling… or that for once in her life she was relaxing… or that Syaoran was close by… All were good reasons.

It was so peaceful here… she liked this place. Though… she was feeling a bit strange… a bit, dizzy?

She started to slow down and started to step out on some of the rocks. Without warning, her foot slid, and suddenly she was falling free. She thought that she had heard her name just before.

She closed her eyes as the ground rushed up to meet her. _This was going to hurt.

* * *

_

Sakura opened her eyes slowly.

Unexpectedly, that did not hurt. Rather… at the last second, instead of hitting the ground… she was caught. She looked up.

She smiled. "Syao… ran."

Syaoran looked down at her resting in his arms. "I let you fall once…" He looked away. "...and had you not saved yourself…" His eyes reflected his pain. "… I would never have forgiven myself."

Sakura stared up at him. "Syaoran…"

He gently lowered her to an upright sitting position. But hadn't moved his arms away from where he had caught her.

"I vowed that if you were to ever fall again…" A gentle and determined face pushed past the pain. "…I'd be there to catch you." He moved around to her front. He placed a hand on each of her shoulders. He looked into her eyes.

She looked into his eyes, still trying to figure out the past events. She half smiled. "You… did well."

Syaoran felt his heart skip a beat. "Then you are all right?"

She shook her head slightly. "No…" She smiled fully. "I'm still dizzy." She leaned forward and placed her head against his chest. "Could you… hold me?"

He was momentarily surprised, and then returned to his usual demeanor. "Of course."

She nestled in closer as he wrapped his arms around her.

Around them were only the uninterrupted sounds of nature. The gentle rumble of the waterfall… the wind through the bamboo stalks… and the chirps and calls of the birds in the forest…

She sighed contently.

After a moment together, she pushed back just enough to look up into his face.

She was looking up at him, and it was magical in itself. He brushed her bangs from her eyes, and let his fingers lightly trail down the smooth contours of her face.

Sakura felt like she was in heaven. She closed her eyes at his touch and parted her lips ever so slightly and inhaled. She kept her eyes closed… waiting… hoping… she raised her head a bit higher.

Syaoran saw this and swallowed. Finally… what he should have done in the arena. He leaned down to kiss her.

Their lips were a hair's parting away…

>CRACK! 

* * *

A resounding crack beneath them made them both spring apart.

Suddenly and without warning, the rock beneath them tipped to a 45 degree angle and they both tumbled down and into the pool below.

Luckily for them the pool was only a meter below the rock they were on. But now… they were soaked, cold, and worst of all… apart.

* * *

Sakura was the first to surface. She sputtered at first and then burst into laughing.

Syaoran bobbed up a moment later confused. Why on earth would she be laughing…

Sakura grinned. "Well… was that part of your plan today?" She treaded water extremely well for someone wearing a dress and a jacket. "Hehe… at least it's not freezing."

Syaoran wasn't smiling. He had missed his moment, again. _Damn!_

He led Sakura over to a part where the water was only waist deep. It was easy to get out of… but it was colder in the air wet than in the water. And he was without a fire or anything. Perhaps Sakura's cards…

His eyes flew open. "SAKURA! Your CARDS! Are they OK?" They must be soaked… surely cards and water were a bad combination.

Sakura started giggling. She dipped back under the water and came out drawing her hair out in a manageable fashion. She pulled a scrunchie from a pocket and used it to restrain it. She was still laughing.

"What?" Syaoran was moderately annoyed.

"M-my cards…" said Sakura, in between laughing breaths. "Are perfectly fine." She pulled one out to show him. "Remember… they're ma-gic." She smiled playfully and finished. "Magic cards are waterproof!"

Syaoran sighed. Never a dull moment…

He started to think about how this day should have gone when water squirted him in his face.

He looked around just as Sakura loosed another stream from her mouth. She playfully splashed him.

He sighed and retaliated. She was still as playful as ever.

* * *

Mrs. Li was in the kitchen cutting up some vegetables for a stew. Normally one of the servants would be doing such, but today was special. Today she was entertaining personally. Plus, she still had help from her assistant.

Meirin sighed. She was looking out the window into the gardens. She had been for sometime now.

"Is something the matter Meirin? That's the third time now."

Meirin moved away from the window and repositioned her apron.

"I'm sorry. I was just wondering where Syaoran and Sakura went. They don't seem to be in the gardens anymore, and they've been gone for a while now."

Mrs. Li shrugged. "I'm certain that wherever they are, they are having fun. And that is all that matters." She started placing the components in the stew pot. "My only concern is that they know when to come in for dinner." She looked up at the wall clock. "Fortunately, they still have the majority of the afternoon. Now please come over and help me peel these potatoes."

* * *

Sakura was feeling good. The activities of this pool reminded her of the times she spent with all the others at the water park. Though her companion seemed rather aloof… she pursed her lips pensively. _I think maybe that'll work…_

Syaoran was starting to get cold. This wasn't the afternoon he had planned out at all. He was thinking of hitting the water, but stopped himself.

At least Sakura was having fun… and that is all that should really matter.

"Hey… Sakura." There was no response.

He turned around. "Sakura?"

His eyes scanned the water. It was completely calm, save for where the waterfall broke the surface. There were no signs of Sakura… at all.

"Ok… no need to play games. I know you're here. Somewhere…"

Still nothing. He started to get worried. "This isn't funny. Please, come out."

He started to wade further out into the deep part of the water. This is about where she was last. He was starting to have mental images of her trapped under a rock or something. He was getting frantic. "SAKURA!"

Syaoran dived under the water, looking, searching… seeing nothing… wait, there! He quickly swam over to the deeper part. There in the torrent of the falls was Sakura. Pale and unmoving.

He panicked. Taking one quick draught of air from the surface, he dove back down. It looked like she had gotten caught in some kind of reverse water eddy by the falls. He quickly went to her side, but mentally noted that he couldn't feel any pull or anything. He pushed the thoughts away.

He did what he thought he needed to, and freed her from the rocks. He wrapped his arm around her waist and went to push off. Nothing.

It suddenly dawned on him. Whatever had her, had him as well. They were trapped!

* * *

A/N: and to think that I was only going to make two parts of this... well, I expanded it again... but it's ok, I think one more part will get me to where I want to be. Thanks again for the reviews.


	5. False Serenity Part III

Chapter 5: **False Serenity** (Part III)

Terror was etched on Syaoran's face.

He and Sakura were both trapped… and he couldn't do anything. And she… Sakura was going to die.

_NO! _He thought. No one would die today. He would find a way out of this. He pulled and pulled on his leg. He tried to push Sakura to the surface… but her body was held stronger than his.

The sad truth was this: there was no hope. They would die here.

He relaxed his arms and hung motionless in the water. The roar from the falls was so overbearing right underneath, he thought to just go to sleep. Eternal slumber.

Then slowly, almost gradually, the water pressure let up above them, and his foot was free!

Quickly he took them both to the surface.

* * *

Syaoran came up sputtering for breath. Sakura was still limp in his arms, and that worried him.

Without delay, he pulled her over to the shallows. Her arms were dangling in the water, and her face was quiet. Worst of all… her chest was still.

His eyes darted along the bank... searching. But there wasn't any easy way out that would support her without risking additional injury. He cursed his misfortune.

The option now, was to attempt CPR here in the water… and that would be difficult for anyone. He placed a hand on the side of her head and swallowed. Worst of all… he didn't know where to begin.

* * *

A minute had gone by already…

Syaoran cursed loudly to the air.

None of this was helping her situation. Without thinking logically, he checked for a pulse. He found one.

_What?_ Was it physically possible to have a pulse… even after several minutes not breathing?

He put his ear to her chest. Nothing. There was no sound whatsoever. She wasn't breathing. Yet she had a pulse.

He checked in a different spot. Yes.

She was alive… but how? Was this the work of some kind of new card he wasn't familiar with? All the same, she needed air… and she needed it now.

He took a deep breath. CPR was just like kissing someone… only not so. Force the air into the victim's lungs, and do the compressions.

He saw it regularly on the television. But this wasn't one of those shows where everything turns out better in the end… this was real! And he wasn't experienced… and there was nowhere to lay her so he could do compressions!

Well, there was no more time. He knew it was down to this. He supported her head gently, and parted her lips… and stopped.

In her mouth… was it his imagination? She seemed to have something slivery in her mouth that went down her throat… and maybe…

He opened her mouth wider and gently pushed upwards against her stomach. The silvery unknown shimmered, and then slowly started to rise into the air. It took a ball-like shape as it exited her mouth, and popped.

* * *

At the exact instance the silvery ball popped, Sakura's eyes flew open and she took a sharp intake of air. She hunched up in Syaoran's arms and started coughing as air forced its way back into her lungs. She clung onto him as she desperately tried to reorient herself.

* * *

Syaoran was confused. A minute ago, he thought that he had lost the only non-family member that he'd ever cared about. Now, that person was recovering after a seemingly impossible resurrection.

He had to ask.

"S-Sakura…" She looked up, still trembling. "What happened?"

"I-I-I don't know… I was so scared!" She wrapped her arms about him with such force that he fell over and had to sit in the water as she pressed against him. She started crying.

Syaoran held her close and tight. He was still stunned from their ordeal, but if she was ok, that was the only thing that mattered to him. He closed his eyes.

* * *

Inwardly Sakura smiled while she cried on the outside. She lifted her free hand out of the water slightly. In it were clutched two cards… Watery… and Bubble. She tucked them back in her jacket and put her arm tighter around Syaoran. She felt bad for doing something so harsh… but she had her reasons.

_Hehe… mission accomplished.

* * *

_

Syaoran decided to drop all the questions. He simply held her until she stopped crying. He thought that it must have been really scary, because she was still trembling. Then he looked at his own hand… it was trembling as well.

Wait… not trembling, shivering! It just occurred to him that they were both soaked and freezing.

He let go of Sakura and stood. She just looked at him.

"Syaoran?"

He offered his hand. "Well… I think that's enough water for today… let's get out of here and get you warmed up."

She nodded gratefully and took his hand. She stood in the cold air and leaned against him.

He silently led her to the side of the pool and hunched down, offering his back to her.

"Here, get on. We need to climb out of here, and at the moment… and for reasons of my own, I don't want to leave you down here by yourself…"

She silently nodded agreement and got on his back.

With her squarely adjusted, he began to climb out.

* * *

They were finally back on the grass that surrounded the pool.

It hadn't looked to be a bad climb, but with both their combined weights, and the slippery/loose rocks, it took much longer than either of them expected.

As it was, things were improving. What, with a little help form Syaoran and Fiery, they now had a nice blazing fire to sit around. But both of their clothes were wet, and it was never good to stay in wet clothing because that only increased your chance for catching a cold.

She had thought out the previous steps well enough to break Syaoran's brooding mood, but she wasn't quite sure what to do next.

She could employ the cards… but, she needed to conserve her strength in case 'that' card was used. She brought her knees in close to her chest and sighed.

…

What to do?

* * *

Syaoran was feeling pleased with himself. His feelings were misplaced until that… incident… but with that behind them, he started to remember what he could do.

First, he helped build a fire with Sakura's help. That should at least be comforting until he returns. For now, he was looking around for something he knew he left behind.

He looked to the sky. The sun was at least five hours beyond its zenith, and that meant he only had a few more hours with Sakura until they were to return to the mansion. That meant he had better keep searching.

He poked around farther in the undergrowth. _Aha! _He smiled. _Found it.

* * *

_

Sakura was still trying to develop a plan when she heard some small stones falling down the rock ledge beside the falls. She stared blankly at that for a second before looking up to the top. There, Syaoran was holding what looked like an old and worn backpack. He was smiling.

Sakura was confused.

"What is that?" She asked curiously.

He held the pack up. "This?" His eyes sparkled. "It's comfort."

* * *

Syaoran opened the pack, and stepped away. Sakura peered inside.

She saw several garments and picked one up. She stood up and unfolded it. She was puzzled. "Training robes? Why?"

Syaoran smiled. "Extras. From when I used to train here." She held it limply in her hands. "Well… don't just stand there, put it on. Or would you rather that you stay in those wet clothes?"

She had a quirky grin on her face. "Two things…" She held up two fingers to him. She switched to one finger. "One… will they fit?"

"Of course. They were always a little big in the first place. That… and I trained here up until three years ago… so there's no reason they wouldn't fit."

"Ok." Satisfied, Sakura switched to the next question. She put the second finger back up. She still had that grin on her face. "Two… am I to change into it here?"

Syaoran blushed. He mentally kicked himself. It did sound like he had told her just that. Not that he would mind… of course…

"Uh… no." He reached deeper into the pack and then pulled out a large blanket. He held it out to her smiling. "I brought this as well." She smiled and started reaching out to it, when he pulled it back slightly. "Unless… you're good without it. Trust me… I won't mind."

She quickly grabbed it from him. "Uh huh…"

She started stringing the blanket between two bamboo stalks. He looked away, not wanting to upset her when the moment was starting good. She looked over her shoulder.

"Oh Syaoran?" He looked up. She smiled mischievously. "Maybe… next time. When I'm feeling not so damp… and your mind has come outfrom the gutter." She winked and blew a kiss before disappearing behind the makeshift curtain. He felt his cheeks flush.

Oh well, he thought. He looked at the curtain to see if he could see her silhouette but was only disappointed. He shrugged and took off his shirt.

He might as well take this moment to change as well.

* * *

Moments later, they were both sitting on the blanket next to the fire.

Sakura was leaning against him, and both of them were watching the fire as it crackled noisily.

She sighed as she relaxed a bit, and put her head on his shoulder.

She was still thinking about the origin of these clothes. She was beginning to wonder if Syaoran wasn't as sneaky of a planner as she. She decided to test the waters… so to speak.

"Syaoran…" She asked softly. He made a noise of inquiry and she proceeded. "Was this planned?"

He looked at her. "Was what planned?"

She smiled as she thought about it… Syaoran was a bad liar, so she'd know for sure in a moment.

"This blanket… and the spare clothes… and the tilting rock before that."

He shook his head once. "No. I told you before; this place was my training ground." He shifted as though he were planning to launch into a long explanation.

She continued to rest against him.

"In my free time, which was often seldom, as I had many tasks and studies that took precedent, I spent the majority of my time here.

"I could practice moves with the older bamboo stalks as makeshift weapons. The rocks were my obstacles, and the pool and rock face were useful to build my strength up.

"At the end of a day, I was often a mess. Whether it was sweat, dirt, blood, or something torn, I had spares so I could return home in a presentable manner. The blanket I kept here to provide warmth when I spent the night. And always, I kept all the supplies in a sealed chest in the undergrowth that could only be reached by climbing the rocks by the waterfall. The backpack was used to ferry food, water and other necessities. I also used it to add weight when climbing.

"So I guess to answer your question, no. None of this was 'planned'."

He finished and looked at her expectantly.

_That was waay too good to be made up on the fly… I guess he's innocent after all._

Sakura tapped her fingers on the ground. _Pity…_

"Syaoran…"

"Yes?"

"How long have we been seeing each other?" She looked up into his eyes.

He looked taken aback by the question. "I-I don't know… a while I guess." He searched for the right words to say. He didn't find any. "I thought you knew?"

She thought about it. Sure, there was a time when she knew for certain, but so much had happened to her since that time, she wasn't sure anymore. After those years, the Sakura of old was a thing of the past.

And as of now, the only thing that mattered to her was the future…

But she acted as though she did know. "Yeah, I guess so…" She felt distant.

"So?" He pressed her on.

She was confused. "'So' what?"

Syaoran looked down at her. His face was unreadable. "So… how long has it been?"

Sakura avoided his gaze. "Long enough…" She said at a nearly inaudible level.

"What?"

Sakura lifted her head up. "Long enough…"

She pushed away from Syaoran and sat up. She sat in such a way that her back was to the diminishing fire. She got up.

"Long enough that it is time… to move on." The wind picked up briefly and the hair freed from her blind ponytail blew about, outlining her face.

The sun behind them had begun to set, and the deep color combinations of sunset were beginning to decorate the sky. The shadows from the bamboo thicket were growing long, and a nightly wind was blowing in from the east.

Something she had said made Syaoran worried. He started to speak, but stopped when she lowered herself gingerly onto his lap, and put an arm around his shoulder.

"Sakura… wha-"

She placed a finger against his lips. "Shhhh…" She smiled, dropping her voice to an almost whisper. "Let's make this moment memorable…"

Sakura kept her finger against his lips and using the other hand, removed the scrunchie from her hair, letting it cascade down her shoulders. She shook her head gently to dislodge and distribute the hair. Then she looked deep into Syaoran's eyes.

* * *

Syaoran felt his breath catch in his throat. He was nervous.

He didn't know why she was being so forward, but he didn't care. The breeze that encircled them played with her hair in such a way that made her that much more alluring. It was like the time in the arena and on the rock all over again. But this time, it wasn't an outside force that restricted them, but Sakura herself.

Whatever was on her mind… she was calling the shots.

* * *

Sakura closed her eyes. She felt the wind play with her hair and felt the cooling air. _Well then… Now's as good a time as any…_

She opened her eyes and removed her hand from Syaoran's lips. She slid her arm around his shoulder and leaned in until their breath touched.

"Well then… where were we?"

Syaoran unconsciously put his hand up and ran his fingers through her hair. She was so beautiful…

He smiled. "I think…" He brushed her bang away with his thumb. "…we were…" she smiled. "…here."

They both closed their eyes as their lips met… for the first time.


	6. False Serenity Part IV

Chapter 6: **False Serenity** (Part IV)

Syaoran felt himself push harder against her as his lips massaged hers. Finally…

It was a wondrous feeling… one worth waiting for to share with your true love. It made even the prior bad feelings of this day melt away. He knew it from the start, but he couldn't think of anything else at the moment… he was one lucky guy.

* * *

Sakura felt herself pulling Syaoran closer as they embarked on a path to bliss.

To be together with her love like this… finally. It took some time, but it was worth it. All she knew at this point was that she was a lucky girl.

* * *

Together they remained in such a state for several minutes. When they stopped, they moved apart slowly, as if in a trance. Sakura kept her eyes closed, attempting to savor the moment. Syaoran looked kind of dazed… staring into the face of his love.

Both had red flushed cheeks.

Syaoran was the first to regain his ability to speak. "Sakura." He said softly as he held her shoulders. She put a finger to her lips.

"Shhhh… value the moment." She said it in a whisper as she kept her eyes closed. She took her arms and put them around his neck. She was content.

Syaoran simply remained transfixed as he gazed at her face and the soft look it held.

* * *

Syaoran was thinking of taking her by surprise with another kiss, when a cold breeze blew past him. Something about it shook him from his thoughts and reminded him of something important he had to do. He frowned… and then looked up.

_Shit…_

The sun had set and while the rich elaborate colors had reached their peak, it was also the end of the day outdoors. As much as he wanted to reject the notion, he had promised his mother. To return to the mansion by dark.

He looked at Sakura and gently nudged her shoulder. Slowly she opened her eyes. A look of pure love was reflected from deep within her eyes. She tilted her head to signify a wordless question.

"Sakura… I hate to tell you this… but we need to head back." She looked at him without reaction. He began to restate it. "It is sunset… we should-"

"-try to enjoy it for as long as possible?" She cut in. She smiled warmly. "I agree completely."

"But…" He looked up to the sky doubtfully.

Sakura flashed a smile. "Oh, ye of little faith..." She went to her jacket and pull out a card. "I've yet to use my 'trump' card!"

The card was turned with its back to him. "You created a new card?"

Sakura started to laugh a little. "No… nothing that extreme… just the card we need though."

She turned it around so he could see it. The Time card. She had used it once before too… after all the magic she's used all day, could she use it for long?

Sakura winked. "Don't worry so much Syaoran. I know you are worried about the amount of magic I've used… so that's why I brought this!"

Syaoran watched as she tucked her hand down her robes and pulled out her key-necklace. She let it hang down in front of her. Before he had the chance to ask, she answered his question.

"My wand contains power of its own… even if I have been using magic all day, I can still use the wand's to provide an energy balance. That way… I can use the card for 5 times the duration." She took a deep breath and threw the card high into the air. At the same instant, a ball of energy surrounded the key.

She winked at Syaoran before inhaling sharply.

"Key which hides the power of stars… Show your true form before me… I, Sakura, command you under our contract… RELEASE!"

The key twirled during the incantation and at the end, grew suddenly into her star wand. She grabbed the end of it and twirled it about before thrusting it under the falling card. Both collided and she screamed, "TIME!"

The energies of the card swept over everything… rendering all but herself, frozen in time. She twirled the wand a bit more and stopped, looking proud. She closed her eyes and flicked the hair from her face before she turned toward Syaoran.

"Well, what do you think? Have I still got it-" She stopped as she opened her eyes. Syaoran was frozen in time just like everything else.

"Whoops…" She touched him once with her wand and he practically jumped. Last thing he knew, she had just hit the card. It was very confusing.

She rested her wand against her shoulder. She scratched the back of her head with her free hand. "I guess I overdid it that time… I'm sorry Syaoran."

He looked around. It had been some time since last he viewed the stilled world. He turned back to her. "So now what?"

Sakura let the wand return to the key and put it back around her neck, and sauntered over to him. When she reached him, she put hers arms about his neck, and got close to his ear. She dropped her voice to a seductive whisper.

"Now… now we retrace our steps…" She leaned closer, breathing on his neck in cool breath. "And… if you're lucky, we'll let our bodies take us to where our dreams lie."

She lightly nibbled his ear lobe.

An excited tingle ran through his veins. He without warning suddenly moved his head beyond her range and then gently placed his hands on either side of his face. A passionate kiss followed, and which renewed vigor, he started kissing her neck, and began trailing down.

Both of them sunk to their knees and then rolled on to the blanket. Without a seen cause, Sakura started to laugh in high honey-tinged tones.

Above them, a magnificently colored sunset remained frozen in time.

And even miles away, Sakura's rich voice could be heard echoing in the silent world around them… were there any ears to hear them.

* * *

Meirin checked the window again. She was getting worried. They had both been gone all day, and now the last remaining shred of light was fast in disappearing over the horizon. She glanced into the dining room down the hall.

There, the extensive dining table had been set for only four places. The meal itself had remained in the kitchen until it was needed, but everything else was set to go. Syaoran's mother was in there now… though why she was neither worried nor upset was still a mystery. In Meirin's eyes, she may have looked even happier than usual.

With a tired sigh, she stood. She had just turned away from the window when she thought she heard somebody laughing. She went back to the window and saw two non-distinct forms coming towards the house. Straining her ears, she thought she heard Syaoran.

With a relieved excitement, she went down to meet them.

* * *

Syaoran was practically dragging Sakura back. They were both exhausted and hungry. But for a reason only known to them, they were both in a giddy state.

Syaoran briefly wondered if he had the physical stamina to drag the drained Sakura up the front stairs. He was just contemplating whether or not to sit her down and get some help, when the front door flew open.

A figure stood in the doorway, breathing with sounds of relief. It wasn't until the person stepped out of the light that their identity was known.

It was Meirin.

* * *

Meirin had stepped forward and then abruptly stopped. She wasn't sure if the reason was the darkness or her eyes, but both Syaoran and Sakura looked terrible.

As they got closer, she thought that Sakura was injured in some way... but seeing her smile quickly put her fears to rest. But really… were these two the people who had left the garden those hours ago?

Both looked utterly exhausted… and looked as though they were dressed in Syaoran's old training robes. Syaoran was half carrying Sakura and half carrying a dirty old bulging backpack. Sakura's hair was a mess… and Syaoran looked as though he could use a shave. _What the hell?_

She ran over to them and quickly got on Sakura's other side to provide additional support. She cast them a frantic and scrutinizing look.

"What the hell happened to the two of you?"

Sakura looked at Syaoran, and he did the same, only to her. They both started to laugh. The exchange would have continued, but Sakura's exhaustion caused her to stumble and it took much effort to recover.

Sakura lifted her head slightly. "It's a bit of… a long story…" She glanced at Syaoran and smiled wearily.

"Whatever… let's just get you two inside." Meirin led them up the stairs and inside. Mr. Wei met them at the door. He quickly gave support to Syaoran, before his exhaustion carried him to the ground. Meirin swore under her breath.

"You two were supposed to join us for dinner now… but I really think you ought to consider showers…" She gave Sakura her full support, and started walking a different direction.

Syaoran halted, and stretched out his arm. "Wait… where are you-"

Meirin cut him off. "To my room. She can bathe there. Don't worry; I'll get her cleaned up."

"Ok…"

Both parties turned and walked their separate ways.

Meirin sighed. Somehow she knew this would be a longer night than she had anticipated.

* * *

Sakura and Meirin had remained silent until Meirin sat her down on a chair in her room. Meirin got up and walked over to her bathroom, and started to prepare it. When she returned, she went over to help the weak Sakura get out of her clothes.

Meirin eyed her with an intense interest. Apparently, she was too curious to resist.

"So… what happened to you two?"

Sakura lolled her head to the side and smiled. Like any teenager, she wanted to brag, so of course she'd tell her friend.

"Well…"

Meirin had listened intently through the various aspects of the story. Syaoran's romantic side, the pool and the happenings within it, the clothes, the moments by the fire… and then the sunset. Meirin listened intensely, interjecting emotion where emotion belonged, adding concern when appropriate, and laughing at what was amusing or funny.

"So what happened then?" Meirin said, poised on the edge of her seat.

Sakura giggled a moment, and then proceeded.

Meirin gasped. The kiss had been sweet, but the forwardness offered by Sakura threw her completely. "You used time? …to where dreams lie… that doesn't sound like the girl I knew at all..." She held up her hand and inhaled to fill her lungs. "Wait… how long did you freeze time for?"

Sakura winced as she sat up. She was regaining a little strength, but was still mostly weak. She hesitated. "Um… about… seven hours."

Meirin felt like something had just hit her in the face. _Seven hours…_ She knew Sakura's powers had increased, but to use so many cards in one day… and to end it with a power draining card like Time… she was astounded. Her friend really had changed.

She was about to say something when her voice caught in her throat. "Wait a second… what did you two do for 'seven' hours?" She gasped, and her eyes brightened. "You…" She pointed at Sakura. "He…" She pointed in Syaoran's general direction with her other hand. She brought the two fingers together. A strange smiled crept across her face. "You… didn't… did YOU?"

Sakura nodded meekly.

Meirin screamed. She launched out of her chair and embraced Sakura hard. She was half laughing and half crying. "I'm so happy! So then…" She broke apart, and held Sakura's hands. "Then you two are official? A couple?" She gasped.

"Did he… propose?"

Sakura blushed a deep crimson. Her voice came a bit shaky as she was still bereft of most her strength. She tried to put up an excited front.

"Not… not yet. But his feelings are finally in the open. So it is only a matter of time."

"Well then… I guess this means just one thing." Sakura looked at her. "You'll just have to visit more often and maybe that fool will get the message!"

Meirin was practically jumping around with excitement. "Well, let's get you cleaned up. I want you looking presentable for dinner."

She grabbed Sakura's hand and led her into the bathroom.

* * *

Some time much later:

Sakura bowed her head deeply. "Thank you for allowing me over today Mrs. Li. I have enjoyed your hospitality immensely. And that dinner was excellent."

Mrs. Li smiled. She looked between Sakura and Syaoran. She hadn't seen her son this happy in a long while. She regarded Sakura fondly. "You are most welcome, my dear. Please take my words into consideration. Our home is open to you. Come anytime you are able."

Syaoran smiled. He had enjoyed this day, and though he was reluctant to see her leave, he was happy that she had recovered enough to use the magic that would get her home safely. He walked up to her and before he could stop himself, kissed her on the cheek.

She blushed. She didn't say any words, but those weren't necessary to convey her emotions to the already beaming Syaoran. She smiled and turned towards Meirin.

"I was really happy to see you again Meirin. I am glad that you are doing well and I hope your boyfriend stays well also." Sakura gave her a hug. Meirin was still glowing from Sakura's news prior to dinner. "I'll try to visit again soon." She started to turn and stopped.

"If you ever want to come visit me, you can stay with us, there's plenty of room… and I'd love to show you around."

Sakura pulled the Love card from her pocket.

She turned to Syaoran one more time. "Thanks for everything, Syaoran." She smiled, and winked at him.

The card started to glow, and the magical winds from before began to swirl around her.

Syaoran was staring right at her when he added; "Sakura… stay safe."

She signaled an affirmative just before the winds had completely concealed her from view.

When they had died down, she was gone.

Syaoran simply smiled. It had been a good day.

* * *

A/N: Well, I've been adding a lot more detail than I originally expected... luckily, this story will probably progress faster when I get to the meat of it. Hopefully...

And if you were wondering why I didn't have any notes last time, I had thought that I'd rather not ruin the mood. grin

as always, reviews are greatly appreciated. (my thanks to those of you who have done so already) 


	7. Homecoming

Chapter 7: **Homecoming**

Tokyo

Sakura and Tomoyo's Apartment.

The magical winds appeared where they had left. Their appearance could mean only one thing: Sakura had come home.

However, when she had appeared, she staggered over to a couch and sat down. Her heart was beating painfully fast in her chest and she clutched it while being forced to breathe in short, ragged breaths.

It had been too soon to use her magic, and she knew it. She sighed inwardly. She supposed that this could count for training as well.

Sakura collected herself a bit more, and then leaned back. She let out a long breath that had until then been confined deep in her chest. It was still too early to move.

While she sat, her thoughts began to drift back over the day's events. It was very good… one that far exceeded the possibilities within her imagination. It was much better than she would have expected.

With a sudden bout of fatigue, she stretched out and laid her head for a moment. She still needed to check in with her reflection and Kero, but for right now, she couldn't move. But one thing was for certain. When she did finally get to bed, she was going to sleep well tonight.

With those thoughts, she closed her eyes and her exhaustion carried her to sleep.

* * *

Mirror Sakura shifted at the sink. She thought she had felt a magical surge, and thought maybe that it was Sakura returning home, but she should have been this way by now.

She shrugged. Perhaps it was nothing more than a pulse from Kero… she went back to doing dishes.

It was a moment longer before she looked up at the clock. She frowned. Sakura should be back by now. She decided to go look after she finished.

* * *

Mirror Sakura looked at Sakura and smiled. Her new master had a cute face, especially when sleeping so soundly. Though Sakura looked dead to the world, the mirror could tell that she had enjoyed her day.

She sighed.

She would wait until the morning to hear whatever had happened. For now, she would let Sakura sleep.

Without making a sound, she took a blanket and covered her up to the shoulder.

"Good night." She added before she turned off the light and left the room.

While downstairs, the crate sat on the table untouched …

* * *

Sakura slowly opened her eyes from a dreamless sleep.

Blankly she stared out and glanced over her surroundings. She sat up, and blinked a few times before attempting to rub the sleep from her eyes. Dimly noting a blanket, she was confused. It took her a moment longer to realize that she had spent her night in the living room… on the couch.

Without a second thought, she got to her feet, hastily straightened her dress, and went to the kitchen.

There, seated at the table was herself… sprawled as gracefully as exhaustion would permit, across the table. Sakura leaned against the doorway. Knowing the feeling, she smiled.

* * *

Mirror Sakura woke to the sounds of the kitchen. It was a sizzling, popping sound that sounded delightfully refreshing and the smell was a welcome too.

Interested, she opened her eyes.

At the kitchen stove Sakura was working diligently on what looked to be something delicious.

Without a sound she rolled onto her side. She was happy that Sakura had gotten her energy back. She was slightly worried about her collapse on the couch. It wasn't like her.

Now relieved, she let her worries slide.

With a happy grin, she closed her eyes once more and drifted back to sleep.

At the stove Sakura paused. She let her eyes flicker to the table, and smiled.

* * *

A clattering sounded in front of her, and brought her from her sleep once again. She opened her eyes and saw a plate with looked to contain a healthy serving of eggs, pancakes, and bacon. She raised her head.

Across from her was another plate… and Sakura smiling broadly…

"Did you have fun-" They both started.

Sakura leaned back. For this early in the morning, she was alive and full of energy. And though she had quite a bit to say, she thought that she could wait just another little bit.

She motioned her hand to her reflection. "Why don't you go first." She looked around the room. "The place appears to be intact… but I don't think I'm ready for any chance surprises…"

"Well…" Her reflection said before smiling slyly. "Nothing that was unfixable… and truthfully, I don't think the surprises will be coming from my front." She started to ready her napkin by placing it on her lap and moving her hand over her chopsticks.

Sakura blushed slightly. She didn't look up, but acted as though the entirety of her concentration was used in filling the two glasses in front of her.

_That's certainly the understatement of the day… _Sakura thought.

She put a glass in front of her reflection and then took a drink from her own. Her reflection continued.

"Besides that, we had a good time. The girls were a bit rowdy at times… but it was all in fun." She and Sakura both broke apart their chopsticks and started to eat.

"Hmmm… just your friends were rowdy?" Sakura eyed her features closely. "…and not you yourself?"

"Hehe… I might have been an instigator in several occasions…" She popped a piece of egg into her mouth, chewed a bit then swallowed. "But… I'm a good girl after all… and I'd 'never' cause problems for the cardholder…"

"Sure you wouldn't…" Sakura stopped eating a moment. "I can remember several times in the past…"

Her reflection paused. She fidgeted slightly under Sakura's watchful eye. "Well… there was the first time… and when you were unstable… and maybe during that time when I became your sister… to the others of course…" She paused. "I think that's it… hopefully?"

Sakura smiled. "It was a couple times more… but who cares now?" She sat thoughtfully for a moment. "My sister…" She leaned forward. "You know… we were just lucky that both my brother and father knew about the cards well enough that they could convince everyone that you were really my twin sister." She thought a moment. "Now you have all your friends who know you well, Seisatsu." Sakura winked when she said her "sister's" name.

Seisatsu blushed. It was an odd name… as most of her friends quickly pointed out, but was better than some of the other ones that could have come about.

"Anyways… that trouble ended after you convinced them that I lived elsewhere… and just visited once in a while." She shifted on her chair. "Back to business… there isn't anything else to add. Why don't you tell me about your day then?"

Sakura put aside her finished plate and took a long draught from her glass. This was going to take a while…

* * *

Kero roused to sounds coming in from outside his door.

He rolled to the side and reluctantly opened his eyes. He scoffed at the time. Whatever the reason… it was too early for this!

He rolled back over and tried to cover his ears with his paws.

The noise still came.

He dived into Sakura's covers to escape the noises.

It was no use.

"CAN'T A GUY GET ANY SLEEP?" He yelled in frustration. He bore his diminutive teeth in his digression. What the hell was going on out there anyway?

He flew up from his spot and flew haphazardly through the air since he was still groggy.

He yawned deeply without warning and almost collided with the door. Sighing, he sat disoriented on the doorknob. He attempted to collect his bearings.

Last night he was forced to stay up late into the night because of Sakura's Seisatsu. That card… Sakura used her more than any of them it seemed… perhaps she did think of her as a sister…

He leaned slightly and almost fell off as the doorknob started turning from his shift. With a low curse, he swung down and opened the door.

"NO! You didn't?" There was laughter and then words that he could make out.

More laughing.

He turned. It seems the noise was coming from the kitchen area.

"And then… he… you see… his mother…"

The words were fading in and out as he got closer. At least it seemed that Sakura had returned… wait.

His eyes lit up. He smelled food.

* * *

Seisatsu clasped her hands over her mouth. "No..." She whispered between her fingers. "So what did you do?"

Sakura laughed. "What could I do? I was embarrassed as hell." She was having fun. Seisatsu was already embarrassed from Sakura's revelation of what had transpired between her and Syaoran. Now she was telling her of moments from the dinner afterwards.

"I couldn't stop smiling if I wanted to, and that was through the entire meal! I'm sure she knew… his mother is sharp like that. But when she asked if we had a good time, I almost lost it!

"She knew we had fallen in the water because we had to change completely… and I'm sure she pieced together everything that we didn't say. Then there was Syaoran. The fool… he was beside himself. It was too much…"

Sakura stood. She collected the dishes and took them to the sink. Seisatsu just sat there bewildered. "So…" She prompted. "What happened after that?"

Sakura put the dishes in the basin and started to wash her hands. "Nothing really… we said our goodbyes and I came home." She reached for a towel. "And that pretty much leads up to now."

She turned her back to the table. "It's in the microwave, Kero-chan."

Kero almost fell backwards. He hadn't said anything… and he didn't really move much. How did she?

Her abilities and sense of perception seemed to have heightened of late. Kero looked up.

Seisatsu glanced at Kero startled, and then shifted her gaze back at Sakura.

Sakura turned; she looked at the both of them. "What?" She finished wiping her hands and put the hand towel back. "It's not difficult. Plus, he's always hungry… so I made extra." She opened the microwave and placed his still warm plate on the table.

He jumped up. "Breakfast!"

Like a greedy fool, he jumped for the plate and had already started to dig in before he had even landed.

* * *

Sakura shook her head.

She turned back to Seisatsu. "Seisatsu… were their any calls for me while I was out?"

Seisatsu thought about it for a moment, then shook her head.

Sakura smiled. "Ok then, if you want, you can sleep now."

Light trails began to unravel around Seisatsu as she started to go back to card form. She looked fondly at Sakura. Life was fun with her. "As always, if you need me, don't hesitate to ask of me."

The image of Sakura shifted and exploded out into multiple tendrils of magic, light, and energy.

Sakura held out her hand and the energy began to collect in her fingers taking on a shape of a card.

"Oh…" An echoing voice sounded in the air around her. "A crate came for you earlier… it's downstairs on the table. I forgot about it… so…"

Sakura nodded thoughtfully. The last of the magic returned to the card before it turned solid and she tucked it in her jacket pocket.

With Kero still eating, and her cards taking their rest, she decided to go investigate this crate. She decided it was probably something Tomoyo sent.

With that in mind, she went downstairs.

* * *

Sakura turned on the lights.

She was smiling happily as she recalled the events of the previous day as she strolled across the room. She hoped that she could see Syaoran again soon. She decided that Meirin's advice was sound.

She looked up.

_Ah. That must be the crate._ She started to approach the table. Suddenly, her smile faded. She stopped.

_This… feeling… presence… _She extended her arm towards the crate. She began walking slowly toward it. _This presence… is Clow's? No… Eriol._

She felt ill at ease. Something didn't feel right. Hesitantly, she touched the crate's surface.

Nothing happened.

She sighed in relief. She started to run her fingers over the surface. Her eyes went to the postage corner. No return address.

"Shield." A barrier surrounded her. She wanted to be careful. Something was definitely strange here. Possibly… dangerous?

With unsteady fingers, she grasped the edge of the top on both sides. Underneath her fingers she felt something. An almost inaudible click sounded.

She shifted uneasily. That was a magical seal breaking. She held her breath.

With trembling hands, she pushed back the top. It slid off noisily and clattered off the table.

Nothing happened.

With the utmost care, she peered inside.

There, lying on a thick layer of shredded packing paper was something very familiar…

Though she had only lay eyes on it several times, it was Clow's/Eriol's staff. And it was broken.

She squinted. There was something else. Something red.

Blood.

"Eriol…"

* * *

A/N: Sorry, it took extra time getting around to it this time. Hopefully it won't take this long again...Keep those great reviews coming! 


	8. Refuge

Chapter 8: **Refuge**

"Eriol…"

Sakura placed a hand to her mouth. Her eyes widened. She shook her head slowly and disbelievingly; tears were forming in her eyes.

"Impossible…"

She started to back away from the table when a sudden movement caught her eye. She knew she should keep away, but a slow and steady rhythmic rise and fall beneath the broken instrument made her freeze. She made a small noise of surprise.

Suddenly… at the noise the thing beneath the broken staff seemed to respond. It stopped the shallow pulsating and it seemed to move through the packing material to the inside front of the crate. Then, it stopped.

Sakura waited. It was a nerve-racking wait… but if something was a threat, she'd need to take care of things here. She fought back her momentary fear impulses and struggled to remain on her guard. She breathed slowly…

The crate remained still.

A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. She gritted her teeth to combat the urge to flee.

Then, without warning, the rustling resumed… it got violent, and then… something small and black lunged out.

She screamed.

* * *

Kero was enjoying himself.

He wasn't too sure what she was doing, or had been doing, but he was glad that one, she was home, and two, she had the decency to fix him a feast of a breakfast.

He sat back content. It was almost worth getting up so early. Almost…

He was just thinking back to his dreams when Sakura's scream torn through his thoughts.

Without hesitation he tore through the air towards her location. He was worried.

It was well known to him that Sakura had achieved much more than he thought she would… rather, more than she should have. But for someone at her level to be shaken by anything insignificant would be an insult to both of them. No, it had to be serious… and just that made all the difference.

Preparing for the worse, he enveloped himself with his wings and was engulfed in fire.

_Hang on Sakura… I'm on my way!

* * *

_

Sakura shrunk back from the object as it collided hard with her shield. There was a brief sound… almost like surprised pain, then it fell back into the crate.

From the stairs, Kerberos emerged from a ball of flame and ran to Sakura's side. The great beast of the seal paused at the sight of Sakura's staying hand. He stood on full alert, but took a moment to shoot a questioning look at her.

Sakura lowered the Shield card. Whatever it was… it seemed that the threat had passed. She crept slowly to the edge of the crate… but couldn't see inside safely.

Kerberos bulged at her side. "Wait." He said with a deep voice. "Let us approach it together…" He winked. "It's safer that way."

"It'd be safer for all of us if you two would stop."

Sakura and Kerberos froze. Something about that cold, emotionless voice was familiar. They reluctantly ceased their movement as a rustling could be heard from within the crate.

Kerberos looked back to Sakura. "What is it?" She shook her head. He bit his lip.

They both stood at the ready and stared at the crate.

* * *

Several minutes passed, but Sakura and Kerberos had yet to move. All their focus and attention rested with the crate.

Movement… finally.

A mound of packing paper appeared at the edge of the crate. It was small… but could still pose a threat.

It seemed to be caught… as it was struggling to climb out of the crate. It paused to shake itself…

Sakura saw two tiny wings poke out from the mound. Her face contorted in thought. _It can't be…_

She looked over to Kerberos who had the same look.

They both watched as the mound took flight to a vantage just above the crate. It sighed as the packing strands fell away from its small body.

"There… that's better."

Kerberos practically fell over from the waiting tension. He had expected a threat… but that! He struggled to say what was surging through his thoughts.

"S…S-suppie?" He looked accusingly at Sakura as she sighed in relief. "Y-you had me worried for nothing! And here I was-"

Sakura looked at Eriol's own version of Kero. She had sighed… but what she saw prior to his appearance made her know that relaxing was no longer an option. Without a word, she raised a hand to silence the rambling Kerberos.

Unfortunately, he didn't seem to understand. He continued at his leisure. "-and here of all places… like you have every right and privilege-"

"Would you kindly silence yourself for but a moment?" Spinel gave Kerberos a sharp glare and he fell quiet, but it was easy to see that he was still fuming in his mind.

Spinel took a breath.

"What I have to say may not be easy… but I must tell you." He looked at both of them and when he couldn't look at their eyes, he lowered his gaze to the floor.

"It's about Eriol… isn't it?" Sakura asked with dread. Her eyes were filled with concern for Spinel.

Spinel shifted uncomfortably. "Eriol… is…" He swallowed. "…dead."

* * *

_Eriol… dead._ Sakura put her face in her hands.

Kerberos' mouth fell agape. He looked shocked at the news. Spinel was looking detached from the grim reality, as though pain had already made him numb.

Sakura lifted her head. She knew it would be bad… but this?

Spinel was the first to speak. "How long has it been?"

They looked at him. Sakura looked as though she didn't understand and Kerberos looked like he still was mulling over the news.

"How long… what has been…?" Sakura asked.

"How long has this crate been here? It is important that I know immediately. Time is of the essence."

Sakura thought a moment. "From… yesterday I'd imagine." She looked at him without emotion. "I was out yesterday… and just opened it when you jumped out at me."

"Why did you jump out at her?" Kerberos suddenly demanded. "If she hadn't thought you were dangerous, she wouldn't have screamed and you wouldn't have been a potential threat and you would have been able to tell us these things sooner!"

Spinel took the defensive, but kept his voice at his usual level. "I didn't 'jump' out at her. I merely was trying to be quick about things after I woke up. Then when I was getting out, the packing strands were pulling against me." He shook his head to get rid of other thoughts. "But that's not important at the moment. We-"

"You fell ASLEEP?" Kerberos chaffed loudly. "I thought you were supposed to be delivering a message or something… yet you fell asleep!" He shook his head. "What poor excuse of a messenger are you? You-"

Sakura was beside herself. Eriol was dead… and these two were arguing about falling asleep?

"Kero… now's not the time-"

Spinel cut her off. "And who was the one who failed as guardian of the cards initially?" He retorted slyly. "Think of yourself before opening your misplaced mouth you-"

He stopped at a gesture from Sakura. She was signaling him not to make any noise. He wasn't quite sure what that might accomplish with the moron making as much noise as he was.

"Myself? MYSELF?" Kerberos roared. "Let ME tell YOU something. I-"

Sakura nodded approval as Spinel gave the silent agreement. She pulled a card from her jacket.

"Silent…"

With that, the Silent card came to life.

Being a card that hates noise, it locked onto Kerberos and did what comes naturally. It transported him out of the room and to another location.

* * *

Kerberos stopped talking when he suddenly was confronted with a wall that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. He looked stunned a moment, then looked around.

He was in Sakura's room.

He growled and wrapped himself in his wings, then reappeared in his disguise.

Kero flew from the room.

_That girl… using Silent on me…_

Without another sound, he started flying back downstairs.

* * *

Sakura allowed herself a small smirk. Though she didn't feel the situation permitted happiness, she could feel good about settling matters.

She turned to a grateful Spinel.

He didn't waste another moment getting to the point.

"So… I've been here roughly a day then?" He sighed. "That's not good for us. That means that we have one day less to prepare." He stopped as Kero flew back into the room.

Before he could make a sound, Sakura snatched him from the air and put her thumb over his mouth.

"Kero… no more. Now's not the time." She said in a disapproving tone. She looked up.

"Please continue Spinel."

He nodded.

"It means that we've already given them a day… and that's too long."

Sakura was unsure how to react. "Who did we give a day?"

"The ones who killed Eriol." Spinel said gravely.

"Worse… they're looking for the cards. They weren't satisfied with the answers that Eriol didn't give them… but they still were unable to deduce the truth on their own." He looked right into Sakura's eyes. "They know that he was Clow's reincarnation… and worse… they know that the cards are no longer his."

He breathed low. Sakura was beginning to sense a deep feeling of dread and despair welling up in her chest. She knew what he was about to say.

"They know that the cards have switched ownership… and they know of the events of the past years in Japan… in short, they know that the cards are here. In essence… they are looking... for you."

Sakura swallowed. Her hand relaxed and Kero drifted out of her grasp looking stunned.

"Who though… they're looking for me… but who are they?" Sakura asked. She had to know.

Spinel looked away, as though staring at something far in the distance…

"I'm not sure exactly… but from what they call themselves…"

He turned back around to face her.

"They are… the Hunters!"


	9. Thieves of the Ancients

Chapter 9: **Thieves of the Ancients**

"Hun…ters…" Sakura rolled the word around in her mouth. Hunters… after the cards… after her?

And they've already killed Eriol…

Spinel spat in disgust.

"Hunters… that's what they call themselves… but thieves would be more appropriate!"

Sakura looked up. "What do you mean?"

Kero was dead silent now. He sat on the edge of the table. His look was quite distant.

Spinel continued.

"I don't suppose you've been keeping up to date with worldly news lately, have you?"

Sakura shook her head. She's been too wrapped up with her own affairs lately… she actually didn't know what was happening anywhere…

"Well, if you had… you'd be aware that there have been a number of museum thefts around the world. Thefts that always involved the stealing of ancient artifacts that have left law enforcement agencies baffled around the world. Bangladesh, Istanbul, Cairo, and London… just to name a few. Many upon many of places… always items from ages of the ancients, up through the newer relics of Antiquity… up to a few items crafted in the not too distant past.

"No one can guess the motivation… or why such unique pieces were stolen, because of the networks within the black markets, not even one has surfaced. However… if your abilities lie in magics and the trade… then you would see an obvious connection. For each and every item stolen were great relics/items of magical power… power that when together rivals anything a lone mage can withstand… or even hope to create.

"Eriol saw this early. We were actually developing a plan to combat this threat were it to surface near us, because we knew that they would target the cards for certain. Using a powerful technique, he had successfully masked your location here, and created a draw to his own. Based on something that happened in Clow's past, he knew that they'd be after the cards... and that without a warning, you'd never be able to combat them were they to find you by chance.

"Unfortunately… they found him sooner than we'd expected…"

Spinel lowered his head.

Sakura caught the realization. "And so… you weren't prepared for them…" She fell to her knees. "Oh Spinel… I'm so sorry…"

Spinel flew over to her, and landed on the floor in front of her. "Don't be. Eriol wanted more than anything to protect both you and the cards. He… would have preferred it to be this way… even knowing his fate."

It was too much for Sakura. She had known of Eriol's care for her, but would never have imagined that her friend would have died for her. She felt unworthy of the sacrifice.

With a silent sob, she sat back and buried her head against her knees. It was too much.

With that, the tears began to fall.

* * *

Sakura had cried for up to five minutes when she felt a small paw against her hand. She looked up.

It was Spinel. He looked as sympathetic as he could.

"I know it's tough to accept Sakura… and I don't mean to sound cold, but we need every minute we can get." He looked away. "Or else his sacrifice will be in vain."

Sakura wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. Her voice shook when she continued.

"I-I know… b-but, it's hard to hear… let alone come to terms with." She looked into his eyes. "How do we-? I mean, where do we start?"

Spinel looked momentarily lost, before recovering his bearings.

"I'm not sure entirely. But I suggest that we should first determine who they really are before attempting to resist them."

He seemed to think for a moment. "Eriol told me you had a substantial collection of the older texts… perhaps in one of those, we can-"

"That's not necessary."

Sakura looked up at Kero. No matter how Spinel treated him in the past, now isn't the time for petty rivalries… and to cut him off while speaking an important matter…

She opened her mouth to speak.

"Though I would rather be wrong…" Said Kero, quickly cutting her off. He lowered his voice to a level layered with hatred.

"I can already guess."

* * *

Sakura looked at her friend with new eyes.

Her happy go-lucky friend was seemingly gone for the moment, replaced by someone she didn't recognize.

He turned to Spinel.

"You said earlier that there were things that Eriol remembers from his life as Clow that he doesn't share… things that he has kept from you?" Spinel nodded. "Well… there was one event in Clow's life that we didn't learn of until his last hour…"

Kero's voice thickened with something unrecognizable. "So let me tell you… about the Zeneiya."

He took a deep breath before continuing.

"As both of you are well aware, Clow Reed was the most powerful sorcerer in the entire world… but this was only after an era died. The era of the mage clans.

"It wasn't well known in history because it was never recorded in the modern ages. But to those of us born from magic energies, we were well aware of it. Clow told us of these times himself… even though he was born much later.

"There was a time in the past when the various clans grew and prospered by working together. Magic is an energy after all, and thrived best in a community setting. Just like a farmer cultivating a crop, a large clan could build upon each other's skills and levels of powers by offering their own. Add another clan and their varying experiences, and magical wealth blossomed like cherry flowers in the spring… but these days were set to end.

"It was in a world of harmony that the enemy drew closer. From the lands of the south came a clan that did not give to the energies… as those before them. Instead, they thirsted for power… they tapped into the magical energies like leeches would a vein. It was with this action, clan Zeneiya made its début… and it was from this action the old ties were broken… and survival set in.

"Unfortunately, greed was the adversary here. Had the father clans simply united to drive the Zeneiya away, much would have been averted. However… they decided to hoard the energies they could… and in their personal quest for power, anything less than their expectations was pinned on their neighbor."

Kero sighed. He seemed to pause to think a moment.

"Anyways… to make a long story short, war broke out among the varying clans and each suffered their losses. In the years much later, many of the clans had been annihilated. The survivors became nomads and wandered with only their family groupings. It was in this way, down the line, that Clow's parents met."

Kero paused to allow himself a small smile. Then continued darkly.

"It was also well known that the Zeneiya survived… though they too were close to death. They disappeared back into the lands of the south to escape those who had dedicated their lives to pursuing them. It was clear that those hunters failed. But that's only hindsight.

"As it was, later on, Clow was born. In time, he created Yue and I, as well as the cards. He also taught us of the history of the wars… but he neglected to mention the Zeneiya… I still do not know why.

"What he did tell us was the nature of the world after the wars. He warned us of the magical energies that still conflicted with itself as it covered the globe. He told us of the magic maelstroms that existed in thanks to the events of the centuries past.

"Though you were not aware before, Sakura, you should know that it was one of these violent energy swirls that nearly drove you to your death before."

Sakura blinked in shock. To think that she had nearly been killed by an after effect of a war long before even Clow's time was difficult to believe… let alone accept. She decided that now was not the time… but it might be helpful to inquire about it later.

Kero continued.

"The nature of magic is always difficult to understand… let alone predict. But there were a few things that helped to know.

"One," Kero gave a small laugh, "…stepping stones."

"Two… being aware of the magic around us."

"And three… knowing how to use the stones with the magic."

Kero laughed. He shook his head as he ignored the curious looks both Sakura and Spinel were giving him.

"Clow was always talking about stepping stones… it annoyed the hell out of me until I discovered what he meant.

"Magical energy doesn't like to drift freely… that's why after the war; only the large masses of energy were still a problem. Everything else was absorbed elsewhere."

Sakura leaned forward.

"Absorbed how?" She looked confused. "Where would it go after it's released?"

Kero smiled. "Magic likes magic. Anything created with the aid of magical energies has the potential to become a conductor for those energies. Anything. Ancient artifacts for example, would siphon the energies from the air and store them until full. There are lots of areas that this happened in… the Bermuda triangle for one… but I'm getting sidetracked.

"Ask me again later about the stones."

He stopped smiling. He turned to Sakura.

"Do you remember the day Clow died?"

Sakura doubted that she could ever forget. She used the Return card to go back to meet with him to get answers… and she saw everything up until his death. She nodded meekly.

"Yes…"

Kero nodded encouragingly.

"And do you remember his exact words? Rather… our conversation?"

Sakura nodded again. This was painful to relive. She swallowed and gathered the words.

"He said; 'Today I will leave this world.' And you said it was a joke you couldn't laugh at… and when you both couldn't accept it still, he said; 'My lifespan is over.'"

Kero nodded. He then spoke in a solemn voice.

"Did you ever wonder about that? The reasons why it was over… and he knew it? He was still young… and there was no visible sickness or any other sign. But that's because it was something that only he would know. Something we found out later…

"Here... let me tell you everything."

* * *

The past:

"…That is my last wish."

Yue and Kerberos look at him with sadness. A last wish was just the harbinger of a farewell.

Clow Reed looked fondly upon them both. Though he was planning on taking his secret to the grave, they had the right to know.

"Do you remember the early months of the seasons with the falling flowers of spring? It reminds us all of the youthful days dying. An end that bears with it the continuation of life. Though it pains us to bring about an end, sometimes that is the only way."

"Now you're speaking in riddles." Kerberos stated.

Clow Reed stood and his smile did not fade. He started to cross the room. "No. The words just will not rise, for all the time since when they first settled… it has been too long."

He pulled a book from a shelf. "Do either of you remember the warring era?" He handed the book to Yue.

Yue looked at the book and scowled. "Of course… we've read it through. What does this have to do with anything?"

Clow's expression did not change. "Could you open to the center of the book then?"

It was Kerberos' turn to scowl.

"The center? We've read that book through and through; we all know that those pages are blank. There's nothing there!"

Yue had the book open to the center, which was of course, blank.

Clow placed his hand on the pages. "Not entirely blank… just a forgotten history. An... end of life… at my own hands."

As words appeared on the pages, both Yue and Kerberos looked upon him with shock written into their faces.

"Wait..."

"What did you say?"

* * *

A/N - I got a little history crazy here... but that's about par for me... 


	10. Shadows of the Past

Chapter 10: **Shadows of the Past**

Clow's expression did not change, nor did he say anything. He nodded to the book and silently made his way to the door.

Kerberos started to voice his opinion when Clow put a finger to his lips. He mouthed one word. Read.

Without another gesture or word, he left the room.

Kerberos and Yue looked at his retreating back, and then the book with the words.

* * *

The present: 

"So… did you read it?" Sakura prompted.

Kero nodded grimly. "Yeah… we both did… and we almost wished we hadn't."

Kero looked around. Both Spinel and Sakura were focused intently on his story. He continued.

"It was shortly 3 years after he had created his first set of cards. Clow frequently traveled in those days, to learn more of the ways of the world and to study the various balances of nature. It was along the way that he discovered fragmented news in the magic community… that clan Zeneiya had reappeared.

"Disheartened by the news, he sought to seek them out. He had heard the rumors, yet thought them to be greatly exaggerated. He also hoped that he could reach through to them… to help them learn from past error. He basically wanted to help.

"Shortly there after, he discovered their encampment. They were located within a mountainous region whose exact location is still known only to those who were present. Even knowing their reputation, and approaching carefully, he wasn't aware that he had been tracked by them.

"It was deeply set into twilight when he became aware of their presence… a time much too late. Without word or subtle gesture, they overwhelmed him by numbers, in which he let himself be captured. He after all, had set out to meet with them only… so why would he think things amiss?

"Unfortunately, they already knew his identity. As light dawned on the subject, Clow discovered that he was their original target, and his cards the means to their return. Aghast, he attempted to reason with them… however…

"…When a diplomatic proceeding didn't work, all hell broke loose. He managed to escape his bonds, but could not escape their encampment short of aid. Lacking the support of Yue and me, it was impossible to drive them back without retaliating. Out of pure necessity, he was forced to use his magical powers in ways he had never intended…"

Kero lowered his eyes to the floor. He continued with a note of sadness.

"When the light returned the next day, he was horrified. The entirety of clan Zeneiya… at least fifty-five people, lay dead around him. It is impossible to imagine how horribly it pained him. He had always upheld the sanctity of life… and now fate had forced him to take it from others. It also had left him with a reminder…

"Sometime during the conflict, he received a wound that could only have been wrought by a cruel magic. A terrible affliction that left him numb with pain… but as he gazed into the lightless eyes around him, he could not summon the strength to heal himself."

Kero paused at this point. When he continued, his voice began to waver.

"It's… because of this wound that Clow Reed… would die early."

Sakura placed her hand over her mouth.

"That's horrible…" She whispered through her fingers. "I never would have imagined that such a thing could have happened… he was so nice when I met him."

Kero nodded.

"He was always nice… quiet… and he kept to himself. He enjoyed life… We never could have imagined how tormented he really was."

Kero took a breath before sighing heavily.

"In Clow's notes, Yue and I found a passage that described his inner thoughts and feelings. It read like this:

'I can not frown, or I'll grimace. I can not speak loud, or I'll cry out. If I let slip my sufferings…I'll lose those I care for most. My house has become my prison, yet watch as I make it paradise… for all those I hold dear, I'll only give to them what they are used to. Such is my penance for my sins…'

"And such is the way of things."

He looked up. A determined and resolute atmosphere hung over him.

"That is why I think Eriol chose to give himself up. Because he's plagued with Clow's memories, he still believes he has a debt to fulfill… or something like that. Either way, he didn't want to send Sakura against people like the Zeneiya… if that's who these hunters truly are."

"Which is probably why he decided to send me here as a warning should he have failed." Spinel added. "He didn't want such monsters to attack Sakura unaware…"

Sakura had been listening closely to both Kero and Spinel, when something didn't fit in. She had to ask.

"Spinel… if Eriol didn't send you… he couldn't have since the broken staff is with you… and you were magically sealed in the crate… something you were unable to do from the inside… then that means…"

She thought about it for a moment before her thoughts converged on the only explanation.

"Then that means Miss Akizuki is alright as well?"

Spinel nodded.

Sakura sighed in relief.

"So she's safe as well…" Her head snapped up. "Or is she? She couldn't come as fast as you, yes… but shouldn't she be here by now?" Sakura finished with a hint of worry in her voice.

"Don't tell me there's more to this…"

Spinel sighed.

"It is true that Ruby wanted to be delayed… for purposes of not leading a trail directly here, but in truth, she couldn't come quickly if she wanted to."

Sakura frowned.

"Why's that?"

Spinel spoke his next words dryly.

"That's because the suns make their own light…" He motioned towards Kero and himself. "…and the moons reflect a light supplied from another source." He sighed heavily. "In short, with Eriol… dead, she's completely powerless!"

* * *

Sakura gasped. 

"Powerless?" She thought of Yukito before the cards surfaced. "But Yue had powers… he had lots of powers when he challenged me the first time!"

"And that was a long time after Clow's death." She swallowed. "So how could she have none?"

Spinel opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Kero.

"That's right! If Yue had all those powers for those many years, how could she simply have none?"

Spinel retaliated in his drab voice. "Yet if what you read was indeed true, then Clow would have had many years to prepare for those times. Eriol didn't have any time at all… not to mention that there was a tremendous amount of energy sealed within the cards and their book… in which the both of you resided until Sakura's time."

Kero's face looked blank. "Oh yeah…" He started scratching his head in an embarrassed manner with a hint of red splashed on his cheeks. "I… I guess I overlooked that part… hehe…"

"In any regards…" Continued Spinel. "We can expect her to arrive later on. Since she has no powers to speak of… except enough of a reserve to keep her from fading out of existence… she won't give herself anyway frivolously."

Spinel flew into the air to hover at eye level with Sakura.

"Now, with what we know we need to ready ourselves. I suggest you contact anyone who might be able to provide assistance. We'll need all the help we can get."

Sakura nodded.

"I'm on it."

She grabbed Kero and started to dash from the room.

"Sorry Kero… but I'll need your help with the details…" She looked back to Spinel over her shoulder. "Spinel! Recover however you can. The refrigerator should have something that you can eat without getting hyper…"

Sakura allowed herself a bit of a grin at the image of the sugar-high 'Suppie'. However, her face fell quickly into one reinforced with resolve. She couldn't afford emotion at the moment… something she only knew too well.

With that in mind, she asked herself, _Now who do I call first?

* * *

_

1 hour later:

Sakura held the phone tight to her ear as she scribbled notes with her free hand. She kept nodding her head as though she were listening to a song.

With one more nod she scratched off the last note and put the pencil down on her desk.

"Ok… ok, thanks Touya… make sure he knows everything. Don't spare any details… right? Good… good. Gotcha, right then. Thanks… I'll let you know when I hear from the others. Bye."

She hung up the phone and pushed her chair out. When she stood, she pulled her hair back into a restraining ponytail. She then crossed the room to the VTRM (Video Telephone Recording Monitor) on the wall.

She punched a few buttons and waited.

A small digital text message flashed on the display. 'Signal error. Cannot locate trace.'

Sakura pressed another button and placed the machine in re-send mode. She then let out a sigh and collapsed backwards on her bed. She sprawled out and closed her eyes.

_If only such a thing really provided all the safety and comfort it projects… then my life might just be savable…_

She yawned and giggled at the thought. She wondered how she could possibly be silly at a time like this. No matter how things could be, it didn't change the hard truth… Eriol was dead. Worse still… his killers were not only searching her out as well, they were hunting her.

She stretched again.

It was nice to be out of that dress… even if it was a dress worthy of its memories. She smiled. But on the comfort level…? She much preferred the gray sweat pants… the silky white long sleeve shirt… the baggy black wool hooded sweatshirt… and the big fluffy white slippers. All in all… an outfit high on the comfort chart.

She smiled again. Tomoyo would have loved the chance to take a videotape now…

Sakura sighed again, and her smile faded. What was worse than the threat was that of the unknown. An unknown in her future…

She closed her eyes and yawned again. It was so terrible… Even though she slept some last night, she was still tired. And the extended sessions on the phone didn't exactly help matters. She wallowed in the darkness she had created. It was gentle and peaceful… she could fall asleep right now. It's just too bad that doing so would be counter produc…tive? She closed her eyes tighter.

_Maybe I can-_

"Sakura!"

She opened her eyes.

Kero flew into the room and hovered above her bed.

"What are you doing in bed?" He looked anxious. "Now's not the time for a nap!"

Sakura started to respond. "Actually, I think-"

Kero grabbed her hand and started to lead her out of the room.

"You can tell us in the other room. Let's go!"

* * *

Sakura yawned. She wasn't sure why he was so intent on dragging her to the living room, but she thought that her idea had a lot of merit. She shifted uncomfortably on her feet. 

"Kero… about my idea-"

Kero waved her off and said impatiently. "Yeah, yeah."

"Look what we're doing!"

Sakura looked at the mess of wires and towers that used to be her and Tomoyo's desktop computers. She looked confused.

"What? I don't see-"

Kero snapped his paw impatiently and pointed at the screen.

"We're accessing Eriol's computer systems that he set up at his house in England! Spinel and he already did an involved research on the various artifacts that were stolen and what possible powers they could have." He looked smug. "All we need to do is download the data and we're already a step ahead."

Sakura nodded meekly. She wasn't sure if she really understood…

"Wait…" She suddenly seemed to realize something. "What if they trace this download? Then they'll know exactly where to look…"

Spinel was the first to speak this time.

"I wouldn't worry about that. Our computers were deep enough beneath the house that they wouldn't have found it unless they completely demolished the place… but since they simply left, we shouldn't need to worry."

He seemed so sure… It still worried her.

"But…"

Something just didn't feel right.

Beep- -Beep-

"Ah! Look look!" Kero looked happy. "The download's started!"

Sakura watched as the progress bar climbed.

She hoped that this would work.

* * *

A/N: Thanks to my growing number of fans for pushing this release up a few days. 

Just remember, you are the ones driving this operation. (That should make some of you proud.)


	11. Tension

Chapter 11: **Tension**

Kero beamed.

"You see Sakura? Nothing to worry about!"

Sakura watched as the bar approached fifty percent. She sighed.

_I guess there's nothing to worry about after all…_

Seventy-four percent… looking good...

Kero bounced up and down. Spinel looked slightly annoyed but didn't say anything.

Sakura held her breath.

Ninety-eight… ninety-nine… One hundred percent.

She let her breath out. She smiled slightly. _With this… hopefully…_

Spinel moved the mouse to open the file. Kero was practically laughing. Spinel pressed open and they waited.

There was a pause, and the computer looked as though it froze momentarily, then it started to return to life.

Everything was looking good as it opened the file and began extracting data…

Then without a seen cause, an error message popped up.

Kero's jaw fell. He looked at it blankly.

"Critical error… file corruption? No…" Kero read the message and started in with the disbelief. "No… no, this isn't right!" He started to press the keys on the keyboard, slowly at first, and then more frantic. "No, NO!"

He slammed his fists onto the floor.

On the screen in front of him was a partial list of artifacts and where they were stolen from. All history and potential magical abilities lay in an area too pixilated to read. He shook his head.

Spinel looked at the screen and put the mouse aside.

Sakura sighed.

"Well…" Started Spinel. "How did you do Sakura?"

* * *

Sakura went through her list of contacts. In comparison, her list was no better.

Miss Mizuki was unreachable at any of her known addresses. Sakura had long assumed her to be elsewhere in the world and very much untouchable.

Syaoran wasn't around, but she was able to leave a message on his machine. She felt confident that he would respond as quickly as he could. The matter of difficulty was getting him to Tokyo in time.

Tomoyo was still on her business marketing trip, and will be contacted via the VTRM in her room. Sakura didn't want her coming home unprepared… but imagined that Tomoyo wouldn't be much more than moral support. Still, she was a valued family member.

But she was able to contact her brother and even her father, who has known about her secrets since it almost claimed her life.

"So Touya will tell Yukito which will alert Yue to everything… As for my father, he said that if we supply him with the list of artifacts, he may be able to use the University's records to research them. We'll just have to use our best judgment when it comes to preparing for what may come."

Sakura finished and sighed before taking a seat on the couch. She seemed lost in thought as she absently picked up a toothpick and inspected it.

Spinel nodded and continued to salvage what he could from the data he and Eriol had accumulated.

Kero fumed. He was still upset about the data corruption. He stood up and started pacing.

"I can't believe it…" He supplied angrily to no one. "What went wrong?" He continued to pace and then he yelled into the air. "WHY?"

Spinel knew it was a rhetoric question, but offered his opinion in hopes to cease his pointless ramblings.

"Anything is possible. It could even have stemmed from something simple and pointless… such as a hiccup in the system or a mild virus in our machine or yours…" He sighed. "Whatever the cause though, there's no sense in rambling about it now…"

Kero narrowed his eyes.

"Rambling?" He retorted with venom in his voice. "I am hardly rambling… I'm angry! I-"

"Kero…" Sakuras voice cut in. "That's enough."

She leaned forward.

"I'm afraid there's a better explanation for this. Spinel…"

He looked up. "Yes?"

"Take what data you have and make a copy with that floppy disk."

He took the floppy and put it into the drive. "Ok… I'm not sure I see the point… but I'll do so anyways."

Sakura looked over to Kero and pulled out her toothpick.

"You see this Kero? Before you say anything, know that I have loaded it with a diminutive quantity of magic… it will act just like a miniature wand or staff. Something that wouldn't be of any real help, I assure you. Here." She tossed it to him. "Take this. But refrain from doing anything to it."

Kero shrugged. "Ok." He looked slightly bewildered.

"Spinel… is that disk ready?"

He nodded.

"Good. Exit the current file and draw up the one from the disk."

Spinel looked confused, but did as she asked.

She smiled slyly.

"Now exit that and eject the disk. Then hand it to Kero… and he'll take it to the far side of the room."

Spinel and Kero followed her instructions to the word. Kero stood confused by the wall. He held the toothpick in one hand, and the disk in the other.

Sakura sat back.

"Ok Kero… break the toothpick."

He hesitated.

"You'll see why in a moment…"

He nodded and placed the disk on the carpet. With little effort, he took the toothpick with both hands and broke it. There was a faint glow and a small pop. He still looked confused.

"I'm sorry Sakura… but why are you wasting time like-" He started… but was abruptly cut off when she placed her finger to her lips. _Just like Clow…_

Sakura waved for him to come over.

"Don't worry about the toothpick. It's served its purpose. Just bring the disk over and give it to Spinel. Spinel, put the disk in and open the file once again."

Spinel took the disk and put it in, but when he opened the file, there was an error.

…data corruption.

Sakura smiled. She leaned back.

"As I thought." She said mostly to herself in a quiet voice.

Kero looked at the corrupted file on the computer and then at the toothpick halves he left behind, then back to Sakura.

"Wait… what did you do?"

Sakura smiled.

"Ever since I began my studies, I knew magic was an energy that existed between people and certain objects… and now I know that it goes beyond that… but to the point, Magic stored in high quantities acts similar to electrical energy in high quantities.

"If in comparison… a wand or staff acts as a capacitor… the energy remains manageable if it is drawn off slowly or controllably. However, if the capacitor breaks, the energy is released haphazardly and explosively… but usually not too destructive. But I remember reading in one of my science books, that if there is an entire bank of electrical capacitors… and that bank explodes suddenly, then the result is a varying strength electric-magnetic pulse.

"Understanding this… and the sheer volume and power within one staff, I guessed that when Eriol's broke, it created something similar. And 'that' is why the data was corrupted."

She lay down on the couch. She was getting tired from all the hefty explaining today.

Kero was looking at her in a strange way.

"So that toothpick… even though that small… had that much energy?" He sat on the floor. "It's a wonder that there is anything left of the data we got."

Sakura frowned. That was a good point. If Eriol's staff was broken, everything in the house should have shutdown. It was a powerful instrument after all.

"Well… he did use a lot of energy to protect this region… and then there was everything that he did at the house…" Spinel supplied.

Sakura assented silently. That was a good point. But still…

She decided that she was too tired to pursue that thought any further. For now, she thought about just going to sleep. Sleep…

She sat up. She had almost forgotten that idea. Perhaps while the others were quiet she could finally say something.

"Hey…"

They looked up at her.

"I was thinking earlier… while I was on my bed… That I-"

"Could just go to sleep? At a time like this!" Kero interjected angrily. "We need to prepare… not slumber. You can-"

"ENOUGH!" Sakura screamed angrily as she stood abruptly. "Kero… Shut… UP!"

Kero looked stunned. Spinnel was a bit surprised as well, but seemed to be pleased that someone did what he was thinking of doing.

Sakura put a hand over her mouth.

"I… I'm sorry…" She looked regretful about her outburst. But she stilled looked resolved about her decision to silence him. She sat down on the couch again and took a couple preparatory breaths.

"But I need you to be quiet." She added firmly. "I know. I know… we need to do what we can to get ready… but eventually we'll have to rest too… but that isn't what I was getting at. At least, not directly…"

She seemed to collect herself a little.

"I was thinking that we needed to be aware of our situation… if not just a little more. But we can't directly figure out how to collect the information we need… but we can, however… see the future.

"My idea… is… to use the Dream card."

Kero swallowed. That card… the Dream card… it made sense.

"But…" Kero looked down; he couldn't look her in the eye just yet. "Look, I'm sorry about getting so riled… it's just first Clow… the memories… and then you being hunted… and the corrupted data, and maybe even waking up early myself…" He fidgeted uncomfortable. "But are you really sure you want to use that card? I mean, it's a great idea and all… but sometimes it's harder on us to know the future."

He looked up. "What if you search for a dream… but discover a nightmare?"

Sakura looked determined.

"That… that's just a risk I'll have to take."

Spinel wandered over. He placed his paw on Kero's shoulder.

"I think it is a good idea. Whatever the outcome, it might give you an edge coming up." He sounded hopeful, and then dropped his tone slightly to a level that could represent sadness. "I'm sure that Eriol would have tried it too."

He shifted.

"In any respect… I doubt we could seriously stop you from trying anyways."

Sakura nodded.

"Thanks."

Sakura stood up and started to walk towards her room. She stopped.

"I guess I'll go get ready. You two might want to consider taking a break too. We might as well… I imagine that we won't accomplish much by ourselves."

With that, she went into her room and closed the door.

* * *

Sakura had finished changing into her nightgown and was just putting some things away when she decided that she should tell the cards. She sat down at her desk and pulled the book in front of her. Hesitantly, she opened the book and sighed. She wasn't sure exactly what to say.

"Everyone… we've been through tough times in the past… and I've loved you dearly with all my heart. That's why I will do my best to protect you. And if you could, I might need some in return.

"A threat from the past has bled into the present… and though I will try to be brave, I'm scared. I'm not sure of what we will face. And an unknown is many times worse than something that can be seen… so once I know for sure; we'll do our best to win!"

She tenderly picked up the stack and held them to her cheek. She swallowed.

"Dream… I'll need your help for this next part."

A dim glow came from the stack and a single card dropped out and into her hand. She placed the others back into the book.

She held the card lightly, and opened her mouth to say something, when the phone rang.

She looked up and put the card back on the desk.

Without a word, she rose from her chair and went over and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Sakura?"

Sakura's face lit up.

"Syaoran!"


	12. What Dreams may Bring

Chapter 12: **What Dreams may Bring**

Sakura felt a wave of relief wash over her. She felt the feeling of warmth return just from hearing his voice.

"Syaoran… I'm glad you called back."

"Of course I'd call back." His voice was pitched with a relieved note. It was obvious that he had been worried. "I wouldn't waste a second if I can help you. I… I'm sorry I wasn't able to contact you sooner. I was-"

"It doesn't matter now, does it?" Sakura offered softly. Her face had a restored glow to it. "All that matters to me is hearing you now."

"Sakura…"

"Syaoran…"

It was obvious from their voices that were they not talking over the phone; they'd be holding hands now. As it was… they were holding each other with their words.

"Sakura… are you sure you want to try to meet them in Tokyo?" Something was on his mind. "Think of all the people that might get caught up in this… wouldn't you rather come here? There are lots of people who would be willing to protect you. Not just me…"

Sakura closed her eyes. She wished it could be that simple. She knew she could feel safer… just because he would be there. But she knew she couldn't.

"No. As much as I want to take you on your offer, I can't." She admitted with a heavy heart. "The main reason is because this isn't just about me. Whether I like it or not… admit to it or not… my entire family is involved." She paused.

"They've already killed Eriol… I know the same would happen to everyone here…"

She shook her head to clear the thoughts. She switched to what he had mentioned earlier.

"You mentioned the fact that it is Tokyo, there will be other people, right? Well… maybe that will be an advantage."

"How so?" There was doubt in his voice.

"Well, with more people they can't move about as swiftly as they could otherwise… and they'll need to find places to stay, so they'll have to interact somehow." Sakura reasoned.

"Still… if they've killed before, then nothing will stop them from doing so there." He decided.

Sakura thought about it.

"It… it can't be helped." She decided. "At least we'll know where they are."

She swallowed nervously. That sounded really cold… she didn't used to be like that.

"Anyways, your family has nothing to do with this… I can't risk them for my sake." She added before he could speak. "It's better this way."

"Sakura…"

There was a pause on the phone. He was obviously thinking about the situation.

"Ok." He said with resolve. "That's fine then. I'll arrange transportation and I'll see you tomorrow."

Sakura beamed. That was fabulous news. She couldn't help but smile.

"Great! It sounds like a plan!"

"Speaking of plans…" Syaoran mentioned. "What have you planned so far? After all, you mentioned in the message that you'd be getting ready."

"Oh…" Sakura was caught off guard. "Ok, let me tell you everything."

* * *

Spinel sat back. He wasn't sure, but he thought that that should do it for now. He looked over his work. 

On the monitor was the latest result of his efforts. Each of the artifacts lined with each location stolen from, and a possible use typed in below. He wasn't sure of the use, but that's why he had already sent the data to Sakura's father for further analysis. He just hoped that Fujitaka could discover at least a few answers…

He looked at Kero who was sitting comatose a few feet behind him. He sighed.

"Kero… you might as well get some rest in as well… There's no reason for you to force yourself to stay awake."

Kero rocked back and forth. Some drool was starting to pool at his feet. He managed to summon enough strength to look outside.

"But it's too bright outside…" He looked at the wall clock. "And no wonder… it's only 3 in the afternoon…" He finished lazily, slurring his words.

"A perfect time then…" Spinel said. "The hunters move during the night. If you started to sleep now, you'll wake just in time for twilight. And if you're worried about me… don't be. I slept enough to cover three days worth of time while in the crate."

Kero grumbled something and dragged himself to the couch. When he reached it, he started to climb the side.

When he had successfully scaled the height of the seat, he laid out on the pillow and promptly passed out.

Spinel, who had watched the feat, simply shook his head. He then returned to his work at the computer.

* * *

"…so, that data was no good… well, it doesn't do us any good to dwell on that." Syaoran admitted. "But I agree with Kero's warning. Although I think you should give it a try… it's always tricky to know ones fate." 

Sakura sighed. "You know… you guys are starting to make me regret this idea."

"Well don't." Said Syaoran outright. "If it were me, I'd want to know as well. It can't hurt to see… and though I'd like to tell you it'll be fine, I can't possibly promise that."

Sakura nodded to herself. He was definitely being careful about her decision… but he seemed really worried. But she was too.

"It's not a game anymore… this time we play for keeps." He added.

Sakura blinked. Where did that come from?

"Yeah… I know. But if I can, I will protect everyone I care for." Said Sakura with determination.

"Anyways Sakura, I should start pulling my things together." Syaoran added regretfully. "I'll see you tomorrow, and maybe I'll talk to you before that."

Sakura was happy for that last remark. It made her feel like he'd be closer before he would be.

"Well Syaoran, thank you for your input, and your understanding. I'll wait for you tomorrow. Hopefully my dreams will bring me luck."

"We can only hope for the best of all things… Sakura."

Click-

He hung up the phone without saying good bye. It was something he had started shortly after she had almost died. It was his way of telling her that he'd be seeing her again.

…And given the situation, it made her smile.

She hung up the phone and moved towards the bed. It was time.

* * *

It felt good lying in bed again. Last night's sleep wasn't very fulfilling. 

She sighed happily. Usually it was impossible for her to fall asleep in the afternoon, but with a little help from Dark… she was all set.

She closed her eyes and sighed. She hoped this worked. She took a deep breath.

"Dream! Show me the times to come!"

No sooner than the words had left her mouth, she was fast asleep. Just another plus of the Dream card.

* * *

Sakura stood silently in the night air. The night was warm and the sky starless. A swift, cold wind blew through the trees and her long hair whipped out to the side. 

She adjusted her hooded fleece higher on her shoulders. A weight behind her was tugging the fabric making it taunt. It was awkward. She rolled back the sleeves on her shirt. Then she adjusted her hair so all of it was free. But one thing was strange… her key necklace was missing…

She took a deep breath and surveyed her surroundings. She ran her hands down her side and down the legs of her jean pants, and then kneeled down. She kept her head up, and her eyes alert, as she tightened the laces on her shoes. She added a double knot for good measure; then stood. Ready, she took a step.

Sakura walked forward. It was a slow and unsteady pace, and she looked around her as though she were searching for something. Though… it was unlikely, since it was so dark. It was almost unnatural.

She was breathing hard, and she was scared.

Sakura paused. She stared hard into the distance.

Suddenly she shouted out.

"Stay back!"

She surveyed her surroundings and then frowned.

"I came alone… as promised! So call off yours minions!"

A deep voice growled a response.

"Minions? How hurtful… that you would dare to call my family such." His shadowed form remained tucked in the darkness. "You have it then? The book?"

Sakura nodded. "It's here." She said with regret. "I have fulfilled my obligations… can I trust that you'd live to yours?"

The low voice came again. It sounded cold and unforgiving.

"You'll only have them fulfilled when the book and its cards are firmly within my grasp, and your weak form… drained of its abilities." He added with malice. "But if it is this… stripling, to whom you refer… then there is no harm done… that's permanent."

He finished with an evil chuckle and stepped aside. A soft incandescent glow permeated the darkness around him.

Sakura's eyes widened. Her voice caught in her throat as she looked past him.

"YOU?" Her voice screamed. "What have you done… you MONSTER?" She was breathing with scarcely contained feral rage. "I'll kill you for this."

He sighed. But it wasn't one releasing tension, it was a happy sigh. As though he had heard exactly what he wanted.

"Would that you could… but you can't." He gave a small laugh. With a sadistic smile seen only barely in this confined lighting, he continued. "Sadly… with such an open hostile remark, I have to add that we have reached a negotiations breakdown. Consider the pleasure mine." His eyes narrowed. "Kill her. Retrieve the book at all costs!"

* * *

Sakura watched herself from a distant vantage. As in all of her dreams, it was as though watching a movie, with her as the main role. But despite that, she was still tied in with everything that happened within the dream. 

However, though she felt the surge of hatred and anger… she was not able to see what it was that had set her off. See was only watching herself… not seeing through her eyes. Her vantage shifted, and she was suddenly able to see much more of the surroundings.

* * *

Sakura felt the color run out of her face. She suddenly comprehended his words. _Kill her…_

"Just try it!" She yelled out to the shadows.

With a determined expression, she whipped the book out from behind her back and thrust it into the air. "LIGHT!"

With that, the entire area lit up as bright as day for several seconds.

* * *

Sakura watched as her dream self used the closed book to cast the light over the area. 

In that brief moment, she was able to see slightly more.

And in the foreground, was a very familiar looking cherry tree.

* * *

With just that brief flash, Sakura was able to gain the upper hand. As night returned to the area, she rushed forward, and screamed out. 

"NOW!"

With that, the man who faced her earlier scowled. He looked about and started to bark orders. It was clear that the situation favored her greatly.

She smiled as Yue and Kerberos pushed the shadowed figures back.

Suddenly from the darkness in front of her, two blades came out at her.

* * *

Sakura watched as her dream self removed her key from her sleeve, and turned it into her sword. With that, she managed to block the blades just in time. 

The emotions of turmoil and fear, and chaos reigned within her. It was clear that these were bitter enemies. It was clear that she was fighting for her life.

* * *

Sakura managed to fight off the man with the blades, and was just about to deliver a fatal blow when something came between her and her adversary. She screamed in rage as it blocked her blade, and stopped its motion... 

Energy started flowing from her blade to whatever had her sword. She kicked off and flipped out of its grasp.

"Heh… you won't get me with that trick again!" She said through her teeth. There was a fury in her eyes. "Shiel-"

But before she could get it out… an invisible force slammed into her and sent her reeling backwards. The book flew out of her arms and skidded across the stones. With her concentration broken, her wand reverted back to its key form.

She looked at the book, and so did one of the closer shadows. They both went for it at the same time.

Sakura was obviously strained to her limits, but her opponent was not. He was going to reach it before her…

Suddenly a blast came from nowhere and rendered him unable. She smiled as Yue flew down to intercept. She was glad that he was unhurt.

With the way free, she grabbed the book and held it tightly.

"Sakura!"

Sakura turned. It was Kero's voice… and it was a warning. She dropped to one knee.

"Shield!"

A shield materialized just as an energy bolt slammed into it. The beam was reflected and she was safe.

The shield disappeared and she stood up. She looked wildly about and was about to help Yue, when the man with the blades jumped at her again.

She managed to get the shield up just in time.

* * *

She lost sight of herself as the man with blades jumped in front of her vantage point. Then, the entire world seemed to spin on itself. She was dimly aware of a sense of surprise and then one of terror. 

It was a haunting realization… followed by a breaking sound and a searing heat through her chest.

All around the battlefield, the actions ceased. Everyone had turned to look.

And it wasn't until the world had turned right again that she could see…

* * *

Sakura lay stunned on the ground gasping for breath. Tears ran down her cheeks as fiery bits of the SAKURA and the Sakura cards rained down around her. 

As the light began to fade from her eyes, she was dimly aware of a warm and wet sensation against her back.

And somewhere in the distance, she thought she heard her name… and then a scream.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Then, a moment passed... and everything faded to black.

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOO!" 

Was that the voice she had just heard, or was that her? She couldn't seem to tell.

"Sakura!"

She felt a shaking sensation.

"Sakura… Sakura! Wake up!"

She slowly opened her eyes. It was still black as night. Tears were already flowing down her cheeks.

She was disoriented. Somebody was in her room and had been shaking her, but she couldn't see who.

"Sakura! What's wrong… Sakura, what happened?"

She felt something in her hand. She looked down... she couldn't see that either... but remembered what it was.

The Dream card…

What she had seen… was a result of that card…

A frightening realization came over her. That card couldn't lie.

She felt something wrap around her heart. A deep feeling of dread and despair. She looked up.

Without caring who, she flung her arms around them and pressed her head against their chest.

"Sakura?"

Sakura felt herself choking up. It reached a point that was too overwhelming. Suddenly, without warning… the words torn through her throat.

"I… I…" She buried her head into the person's chest and screeched the last of the terrifying words.

"I'M GOING TO DIE!"

* * *

A/N: Would it be cruel of me to leave it like this for several weeks? Or would you like me to keep going? I guess it's up to the readers to decide... 


	13. The Burden of Fate

Chapter 13: **The Burden of Fate**

Sakura continued to shake with choking sobs.

"I… I'm going to die… why?"

Words started to come back to her… words from not too long ago.

'Sakura… are you sure?'

'What if you search for a dream… but discover a nightmare?'

'…it's always tricky to know one's fate.'

Fate… that's what this boils down to. Fate is what almost killed her in the past, and now it has promised to take her…despite her best efforts.

Why? Why didn't she listen to everyone? And she so wanted to know…

Her grip tightened and she was about to start into another wave of tears when the person she clung to put their arms around her shoulders in a comforting, firm embrace.

"Sakura." Said a firm and reassuring voice.

She froze. She knew that voice. She had only just talked to him tonight. But though she searched, she couldn't see him.

"T- Touya…" She said in a choked voice. "Where are you? Why can't I see anything? What's happening! What's going on!" Sakura cried out frantically.

She started to push away from her brother when he held her tighter. Although she wanted nothing more than to just get away, she relaxed a little.

"Sakura…" He began smoothly. "You're fine… you're ok… there's a good reason you can't see me."

Sakura restrained a panic attack. "W-w-what? Why?"

"It's because you used a card to do this. That's why it's so dark." Touya explained.

"And… that's why I can't see anything?" Sakura asked with a touch of moderate relief.

He nodded, and though she couldn't see it, she knew instinctively. She gathered herself as best she could.

"D-dark… it's ok now… You can return. Please return…"

With that, the darkness retreated from the room and returned to the open book on her desk, and light crept through the window again. The Dream card took the same opportunity and returned to the desk as well. Overwhelmed, she slumped in her brother's arms and he laid her back on her bed. He hoped that the gentle action would help to calm her slightly.

It had.

Sakura took slow and shaky breaths. Her chest hurt and her eyes were swollen. More than anything, she just wanted to close them… but with her dream still so fresh in her mind, she saw her death each and every time she closed them.

So she did what she could, and stared at her brother's face.

It was so calm; it helped her settle down again. She sat up and leaned against the wall.

"Why did Dark lose control like that? It wasn't even half that when I went to sleep."

Touya smiled. He put his hand on her back and stroked her hair softly. It had a deep calming effect that made Sakura glad that she had a brother. He stopped and looked at the desk briefly, and then turned back to her.

"That's because she was worried about you."

Sakura furrowed her brow in contemplation. "Worried about me? How does making it darker help me feel better?"

"Well…" He began. "I came in here just as you started to thrash about. At that time, it was probably the same as when you fell asleep." He sighed. "However, the more you thrashed about, and the more you cried out, the darker it became." He shook his head.

"Despite the years you've known them, and regardless of how your powers have grown, you still haven't learned about their emotions." He sat on the bed next to her. "When she was concerned for you, she tried to embrace you to make you feel better. When you thrashed harder, she embraced you tighter. But… she is the darkness… so when she moved to embrace you, it became darker. And so on…" He paused. "Therefore, it was malicious intent… just concern."

Sakura regarded him oddly. "When did you become so smart?"

He punched her lightly in the shoulder. "Idiot… I've always been smarter than you."

She started to scowl. For the moment, she had forgotten her dream.

He continued. "But seriously… ever since Yue returned me the powers I gave him. After all… after your recovery those years ago, your abilities reached such a level that he felt he didn't need my crutch after all." He patted her on the shoulder. "It's a good thing too… I've been able to become useful again!" He smiled cheerfully and put an arm around her shoulder.

She pushed him away.

"Don't give me that… you've always been useful." She had to rethink her words slightly. "Except for those times when you fell asleep…"

She started to laugh a bit and then slowly and then stopped. It was no use. She couldn't forget about it. It was too much of a burden… one that weighed heavily on her. She sighed.

Touya sensed her reversion back to her earlier state, and decided that it was inevitable. Even if he did not know the details of what had happened, he knew his sister. She would never say something that severe unless she had no other reason to believe it to be false.

He sighed and got off the bed. He turned to her and tossed her a bundle of clothes.

"Here, put these on, and then you can come out to the living room. Then you can tell everyone the details."

She frowned. "Everyone?"

"Yukito and I… and those… things…" He said, unsure of what to call Spinel and Kero.

Sakura tipped her head.

"Yukito is here?" She held her head for a moment, and sighed. She wasn't sure why that surprised her; she should be used to that now. "Of course… never mind. Does he know anything?"

Touya nodded.

"He knows everything I do…" He extended that statement as he thought of where he had left him. "Actually… he probably knows more by now, since I left him with… that… black stuffed… animal… or something." He added, once again unsure what to call the other guardians.

"Regardless, get dressed and come out. We have a lot to do."

Sakura looked at him blankly as he started to leave.

"Wait!" She said hurriedly. She glanced outside and looked back. "How long have I…?"

"About three hours. Don't worry, you weren't asleep long. Anyways, come out when you're ready."

He left the room and shut the door gently behind him.

Sakura looked questioningly at the article of clothing in her hand. She shrugged, and started to take off her nightgown.

At least they'd be comfortable…

* * *

Sakura came out of her room and yawned. She couldn't believe that had only been three hours. It felt like a lifetime… at least up to the end of it. 

She sighed sadly. She would have sunk back into her depression if it she hadn't suddenly noticed her audience. She scanned the room quickly, and four pairs of eyes looking concerned you back.

Spinel was still sitting in front of the computer monitor, and had obviously been explaining something to Yukito, who was crouched next to him.

Kero laid half on and half on the couch's edge, as though ready to slide off.

While Touya stood behind Spinel and Yukito. He was holding a decent sized stack of papers in his hand.

Her eyes lingered on her brother, an unsaid question crossed her lips.

But he held up his hand to prevent her from asking of her thoughts.

"Don't worry, Sakura. I didn't tell them anything." He said truthfully. He put his hand down and looked away.

"I don't know the details… so it's up to you to tell us… everything…" He finished gravely.

Sakura looked at her brother hard. Hate it though she did, he was right. It was her idea in the first place… even after all the warnings. She shuddered and looked at the floor. It was right to do… but it meant she had to relive everything. She closed her eyes and the images came again. She wouldn't forget if she could. She squeezed her eyes tight. Finally, she decided.

She looked up and opened her eyes. A shaken but firm resolve radiated from her. It was time.

She had to tell them everything.

* * *

She breathed in slowly. She had just promised herself, but where should she begin? Should she just come out with the outright ending? Or would she just recall as much as she could? 

She wasn't sure.

She looked over them all once more. Something didn't seem to add up. Only Touya knew about her revelation, so why were the others so concerned? She had to ask…

"Wait… why is everyone so concerned?" She glared at her brother. "Can you seriously say that you didn't say anything?"

Touya did not answer, and sighed. After that, he made no motion.

Instead, it was Yukito who took the initiative. He adjusted his glasses and stood.

He crossed the room and stood just in front of her. Even though she insisted that all her feelings for him were just a childhood crush, she couldn't help but feel her heart flutter if just a little.

With a gentle smile, he took his hand and swept away one of her bangs that had fallen across her face. He then took the same hand and placed it on her shoulder.

"Sakura." He said gently. "If you hadn't started screaming so suddenly as you did before, Touya wouldn't have even been there when you woke."

His smile faded. "We all know your strength… your pride… we know who you are. And… the Sakura we know wouldn't react in such a way, unless it was truly a terrifying fate."

A tear ran down her cheek.

"That's why we're concerned, and that's why we're ready." He wiped the tear off her cheek. "Please, be honest with us; be honest with yourself…"

He backed away until he stood next to Touya. He tried to give a reassuring smile, but she felt as though she were beyond that.

Sakura nodded as tears trailed down her cheeks.

"O-Ok… I'll start from the beginning…"

* * *

"A-and then… I died. Because everything faded to black." 

Sakura finished her narration with her face in her hands.

It was even harder the second time around… and now things would only get worse as the inevitable questioning would come.

She briefly held back her tears just long enough to look at the others.

Kero had put his face in his hands. He slowly rocked back and forth and shook his head.

Spinel had his head hung low, and seemed to be replaying his memories of Eriol's death.

Yukito had a crestfallen appearance. While Touya seemed angry.

"…Why?" Kero asked to no one in a quiet voice. He seemed trapped in his past. "Why… why again?"

Spinel gazed up at him, but said nothing. He then looked towards Sakura.

"Do…" He seemed to think over his words. "Rather… did you see or sense anything familiar in the dream? Would you know where this will occur?"

Sakura closed her eyes and thought back to the dream. "Cherry tree…" She said softly. "I do remember the cherry tree… and the stones were familiar to 'that' place."

"What place?" Spinel pressed.

Sakura closed her eyes again… as if to make sure.

"In… Tomoeda. At the shrine where Miss Mizuki worked. And where Eriol made me face him for the last time… to change the cards."

"The shrine… at Tomoeda?" Kero pondered. He seemed a little better than before. "Why would we be there? I can't seem to think of any reason…"

"…And for that reason, we won't go." Touya affirmed.

Sakura looked up. Touya…

"But, in the dream… I felt like I was walking into a trap. And I was dreading being there for a reason that only must mean that I had seen the dream before. So what if I can't avoid it?" She said desperately. "I was there to make an exchange for someone's life… but I never saw whose."

There was a brief silence in the air.

Until Touya spoke again.

"Then… since we know that much, if anyone of us in this room is taken, then you won't, for any circumstance, come after us." He said resolute. "We will change this future."

"But…" Sakura started. Was it possible though? The dream card wasn't something to be bartered with…

It was all or nothing.

"I…" She trailed off. She couldn't say anything.

Instead, she looked around the room.

"We'll do what we can… Sakura." Affirmed Kero.

There were collective actions of agreement around the room. It made her feel a little better.

"Everyone… I-"

Ring-

The phone rang, cutting her off in mid speech. Seemingly forgotten, the others remained where they were as she ran back into her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

Her heart was beating fast.

Who could it be? She hoped not her friends… that would create too many problems with her… complications… at the moment. She picked up the receiver.

"Hello?"

* * *

The others watched her disappear behind her door and said nothing. 

Touya looked at Yukito and he shrugged. Kero practically fell off the couch, while Spinel took the initiative.

"Alright. For now, it's up to us to decide a plan. Where do we want to begin?"

* * *

A/N: Well, here is a bone... enjoy. 

If you want more to chew, send me some reviews... (it'd be nice to see some new faces... er... names... but it's your choice)


	14. Need

Chapter 14: **Need**

Ten minutes had passed. It was too long.

Sakura looked at her self in her mirror as she braided her hair tightly into a long strand.

She had to go… she had to get out of her apartment… she had spent too many hours here already, and the memories were just too painful. Nothing forever of course… just until she had fulfilled her mission.

She finished and stood up.

Sakura admired her job in the mirror. When she decided to go out, she knew she couldn't look anything like she normally did. That's why she dressed perfectly. She smiled.

Sleek, tight, black jogging pants… a white sleeveless shirt that exposed her toned abdomen and lower back… long braid of hair that met just past the small of her back… white running shoes… and for security purposes, a two-card holder that strapped to her arm.

An arrangement of attire perfect for high performance mobility… now for the cards…

She went to her book and opened it. She sorted through until she came to a card. She held it up.

The Time card… perfect.

Now for one more…

She rummaged through her collection and stopped at one that had a strange insignia on it. It was different from the other cards.

She nodded a silent approval and secured the cards in the holder on the underside of her arm. She was ready.

She walked to the door and was about to open it when she looked back in the mirror.

_Hmmm… not quite ready yet._

With time to spare, she put on some sparkle lip-chap, and a touch of make-up.

Now she was ready.

* * *

The others were discussing something important in the living room when Sakura burst out of her room, looking completely different from when she went in.

She didn't waste anytime answering their unasked questions.

"That was Syaoran on the phone… he decided that he couldn't in good conscience let me wait until tomorrow. So he's come early." She said out of breath. "So I have to go." With that, she went over to a chair and retrieved a light sweatshirt that she had discarded there several days before.

"Sakura…" Started Yukito. "We've decided that until we have a better information base, you should stay here. Just in case."

She looked at him oddly.

"It's just for the meantime." Said Yukito hopefully. "You can trust Syaoran to come on his own."

Sakura shook her head.

"I'm sorry Yukito…" She rebutted. "But my needs right now are at a higher level than reasoning."

Her face carried an extremely determined look.

She started putting on the sweatshirt as she crossed the floor, and headed for the stairs.

Touya got there ahead of her, and barred the way.

"Sakura." He said sternly. "You're acting irrationally. Where do you think you're going?"

"To Syaoran." She said shortly. "I can't just sit here and wait for him… I need to be with him now." She was getting flustered.

So was her brother.

"What about your future!" He asked strongly.

"What about it?" Said Sakura sharply. "I die… remember?"

"But you don't have to!" He stated. "I don't care what you dreamt. It can be changed. I know it." He added with a touch of desperation.

"Do you?" She asked low; her eyes narrowing. "So long as I don't go to Tomoeda… then I'll be fine, won't I? Anyways… I'd rather confront my fears than hide from them!"

"But the events set in motion today could be the key to the events to come." Touya pressed on her. "Don't you even understand something that simple!"

Sakura looked shocked. He was right… but she couldn't care now.

She had already made up her mind.

"That... may be true… but if the fates are pushed out of balance one way, then they might search for another soul to fill my place… and I can't HAVE THAT!"

With that, she pushed past him and barreled down the stairs and dashed out the door.

"Shit!" Touya cried out.

He pivoted and tore down the stairs, hot on her trail. But as he rushed out the door, he couldn't find her.

In fact, as he scanned the streets, he couldn't see her anywhere.

She had vanished.

* * *

Sakura half ran and half jogged. She had tears of some kind of emotion she couldn't place, but she was free! She sighed. The night air felt good.

She knew she would regret her behavior after a while, but she was still glad that she had left. That apartment was beginning to suffocate her. And now she was out…

She continued at her pace for another several blocks before she slowed to a walk. She was practically in hysterics from her emotional surge, but even though she was dressed strangely, and in such a state, no one said anything… even though the sidewalks were packed. Not a one… probably because, they, like her brother… were unable to see her as well.

She smiled and held onto her right arm… particularly the part under her arm, where the two cards rested.

* * *

Touya returned to the apartment after and unsuccessful search of the area. He wasn't too happy.

"SHIT!" He screamed as he thundered through the door.

He punched his fist into the wall, leaving a small dent. He was mostly mad at himself. The only thing worse than losing her, was having to tell the others that the search had failed. But this was to be expected…

"After all…" A familiar voice spoke behind him. "She's still young… and this is too great of a burden for anyone to handle… so naturally she'd rebel." Finished Yukito in a soft voice. He put a comforting hand on Touya's shoulder.

"We can only hope that trouble doesn't find her while she's out, and that she returns safely. Preferably with her companion."

His words comforted Touya, and he sighed in agreement. Whether he like it or not, his sister's notions had merit… but didn't mean she was right, nor did it suggest that he was in error.

Yukito smiled.

"I guess you might need some ice now, as well… just to make sure your hand is ok."

Touya nodded. "I guess so…" He affirmed. He started to trudge up the stairs.

He stopped at a window.

_Sakura… be careful…

* * *

_

Sakura wound her way through the busy streets of suburbia Tokyo completely undetectable. She was uncertain of the time, but could sense the air temperature drop slightly as the shadows lengthened. The sun had started to set.

She knew that Syaoran's plane would be in soon, and if she were going to get there in time, she would probably need to hail a taxi. That would mean that she would have to become visible soon…

She weighed her options.

Thinking it better for her to at least find a cab, and then wave it down, she decided to stay concealed for the moment.

She continued at her swift pace into the business districts.

She knew that there'd be a cab soon.

She was counting on it.

* * *

Sakura craned her neck to see Tokyo Tower. She really didn't have much in the way of a view from her apartment, and it was always good to see it when she had the chance… after all… even she had a lot of history with the structure.

Suddenly a deep, but quick rumbling passed above her. The metro lines that go around the city…

She had almost thought about taking one of those, but realized that she wouldn't have been able to stay as concealed for as long as she has.

No… a cab was her best bet. She glanced about to see if she could see one, avoiding everyone around her as she went.

Ah… there they were. Just through the building gaps on the other street.

With that problem solved, she just needed to take care of her current look… or lack of one. For that, she ducked into a connecting alley way, avoiding all the people out on the street.

She started walking towards the other end. Free of the many eyes, she sighed in relief.

_There…that should be good now._

She was about to let up on the magic when she noticed several bundled, ragged people on the sides. The homeless.

She frowned.

It was probably better not to appear right in front of their eyes… they'd been through enough in their lives already. She wasn't about to add an early death by means of a heart attack.

There was still enough room towards the end that would suffice.

* * *

At a feeling, one of the larger bodies in the alley stirred. It was a very subtle movement, but one nevertheless.

The figure was robed extensively in what looked to be a very heavy fabric, soiled to a very dark brown color. Up until the move, it had covered the entirety of the figure's face. Now however, a fold had slid just enough to allow for a cruel set of eyes to have a complete visual of the alleyway. Eyes that narrowed when set in Sakura's direction.

In what should be empty space, he saw that of a girl. One with what looked to be braided hair tucked into her sweatshirt, and soft facial features. She looked as though she was trying to remain inconspicuous… but since he was able to see her… it was obvious that she had failed.

He strained his eyes. Though he was roughly aware of her looks, the details were impossible to see. Completely shrouding her was an energy that could only be magic in origin. Something that others would not see, probably what made her invisible to the sheep who wandered the streets in this city.

It was something that she probably wasn't aware of herself… a densely saturated energy that permeated the air around her. Just as light dances on a wall from the reflective surface of a pool of water disturbed, the ballet of light and shadow danced about her.

Though this energy concealed her from normal eyes, it was like a beacon to him.

As she walked slowly past him, he turned his head.

With just that, the fabric slid from his face, revealing worn, battered features that hid a youth in his later twenties. The end of a scar ran from just above his right eye to the center of his cheek. He had a set jaw and chiseled chin… and determined features. And his cold, dark eyes gazed at her as a wolf would its prey.

Then he did something unforeseen of one with his character. He smiled.

* * *

Sakura felt a chill travel up her spine. It was perturbing. She glanced around, perplexed. She adjusted her sweatshirt higher on her neck.

What set that off?

* * *

The figure had remained motionless as she shuddered, and then looked around.

He waited until she felt comfortable again, and watched as she started to walk forward.

With little effort, he raised himself from his kneeling position, and stood up. His thick, dirty robe covered all but his lower face as it billowed around him. His appearance nearly gigantic from his abnormally wide shoulders.

He took a step forward.

* * *

Sakura continued to walk toward the end of the alley. For now, all her concentration rested on getting to the cab, and then to the airport. She needed Syaoran… and she would get there.

But first, she needed to drop her shroud. She started to ready herself for the withdraw of magic. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Oblivious to her, a broad form approached silently from the shadows behind her. It was less than ten meters from her, and closing fast.

She sighed and opened her eyes.

She was ready!

* * *

A/N: It's disappointing that I couldn't include the Jaws theme music in this last scene... it would be fitting somehow. 


	15. Union

Chapter 15: **Union**

Sakura had just placed her hand on the card under her sleeve when she stopped suddenly. She heard voices.

Quickly, she placed herself by the edge of the alleyway. The form behind her stopped as well, but remained tucked in the darkness.

Shadows appeared in the mouth of the alley. They were haphazard and darting back and forth… and there was laughter. She held her breath.

Then, one of the shadows owner's fell into the alley. He hit the cement hard, and there was a shattering sound.

Sakura scowled. It was just a couple drunken hoodlums. She sighed. Well, that was a wasted scare.

She continued to watch the event play out.

"Shit man… I fuckin' broke ma beer." Said the punk spread eagle on the alley floor. "Ma ass hurts like a mother too…"

"HAHAHA! ...It serves you right!" Said another, who was apparently just as wasted. "Dat's what ya get when you stiff me over on dat round you promised!" He added with slurred words.

He leaned back and took a swig of his beer and then belched.

Sakura cringed with disgust. If it was one thing she didn't like about Tokyo, it was the number of punks that roamed its streets.

And the drunk ones were even worse…

Still… she could reappear and they might not even notice. After all… she couldn't afford to waste any more time here.

She placed her hand on the card.

"Man o man… ah'm so trashed man…" Said the guy on the ground. He was laughing with mirth. He then turned to his friend and put his hand into the air.

"Yo man… be a pal and help me up."

His friend swayed, and then came over. He grabbed his buddy's hand and thought about what he was doing.

"Why ahm helpin' agan?" He almost dropped his beer.

"Just do it man… I'll give ya 100 yen…"

His friend scoffed. "How cheap… make it five of dem and it's done."

The guy on the ground swatted his hand away and attempted to get up on his own, but only managed to fall again. He sighed.

"Fine… 's a deal…"

He grabbed his hand and he was tugged up sharply. His friend wavered from the effort and almost dropped his beer again, and the other guy grabbed him for support.

Then, there was a sudden soft emission of light behind them. They both turned just after the light had died down, and saw Sakura standing near the wall.

"H-hey chicky!. How long have you been hangin' there frail?" He made a motion to go over to her but had to cling to his friend or he'd fall.

Sakura looked at the street. She had come out on the left side, so all she needed to do was wave down a cab, and she'd be set. She looked back at them and didn't express emotion.

"Long enough." She said confusing them. "Enough to know that I don't have time to deal with you." With that, she turned and started walking out to the street, her hand in the air.

One of the guys tried to follow her, but couldn't walk. "Don't run honey… we could be friends! Wouldn't that be good for both of us? We could… go dancing or the like."

Sakura gave a quick glance over her shoulder to make sure she was clear. Then, she continued to lead down the road with her arm in the air still.

"Ah… don't leave frail! Come on…. We can be… -Urp-" He clasped his hand over his mouth and proceeded to vomit off to the side.

His friend turned ashen. "That's nasty man… come on… let's just get home."

They started stumbling into the alley and then collided hard with something.

There was a smashing sound and one of the guys looked disbelievingly at his broken beer. He then looked up and saw what they had run into.

"Hey man… that's uncool… you fuckin' broke my beer!" He said in a whiney voice to the figure.

His friend started to laugh.

"Shut up!" He reprimanded. He turned back to the guy in front of them. "No stinkin' bum is going to just break my beer and not fuckin' apologize…" He stared intently at the guy's face.

"Say something!"

The figure remained silent.

"Ah fuck it!" The punk yelled vehemently. "No bum is worth the hassle… and ya won't be missed either."

With that, the punk flipped out his butterfly knife and started to thrust it out at the figure in front of him.

With little movement, the figure caught the punk by the wrist with his left hand. His eyes darkened even more, were such a thing possible. Without a word, he straightened his right arm at his side.

There was a sliding sound, as a cartridge would make when sliding into a chamber of a firearm, and something from his shoulder fell to his forearm.

The punks could only look on with terror enveloping their faces. From the gaps in the folds of his robbing, they could see the distinguishable form of a rather shiny, and very wicked looking blade. It made the guy with the knife urinate.

They were sure they were going to die.

* * *

Sakura was just climbing into the backseat of a cab when she heard screams coming from the alleyway. She looked back sharply, and just in time to see the two punks come running out.

Thinking them to just be hallucinating or something, she got into the car.

* * *

The two punks had run from the alley as fast as their drunken legs would carry them… even through the city traffic on the streets, and safely past the other side.

But he didn't care about them. Not at all.

He walked silently out of the alley and stared down the street. She was gone. Without a sound, he turned and went back into the alley.

With a quiet movement, he stowed the blade back into its shoulder mounted position, and stepped into the shadows.

There, he remained motionless for a short period of time before he faded away.

And the alley was quiet once again.

* * *

Sakura sighed happily. She was in the cab, heading for the airport, and she had managed to avoid a potentially further upsetting incident in the alley back there. She leaned back. It wouldn't be much longer.

With nothing better to do, she closed her eyes.

When she did, her thoughts drifted back to her conversation with Syaoran…

It was unexpected when he answered, and while it did make her feel so much better, what was she going to say to him? She couldn't just tell him her life would end. Though she knew it already, even she didn't want to accept it.

He sensed it… of course, that something was wrong, but he didn't press her for details. She silently thanked him.

He did, however, tell her that he was to be landing at Tokyo airport before much longer, and that he would see her soon.

Then she went ahead and told him that she would be sure to meet him, and hung up before he could get in another word.

She wondered if he'd be mad about her decision…

* * *

Twenty minutes later, the cab pulled up outside the airport's main door. Sakura paid the driver and hurried inside. She only had one goal… and nothing would slow her down.

She recalled their conversation. Syaoran had told her where he'd be arriving.

Breaking into a run, she hurried as fast as was reasonable.

* * *

Syaoran sighed.

Flight travel was tough anymore these days… but when you were someone in his situation, it was simply overbearing.

All the same… it was worth it.

Taking the pen in his hand, he reluctantly signed another grouping of papers. He was getting frustrated.

If he hadn't thought that there was a good enough reason for it, he would have just mailed his sword to Sakura's place. As it was though, he didn't believe her that there was nothing going on in their last conversation. She was hiding something.

He only hoped that it was nothing that would catch him unaware… After all, from her first message, they knew next to nothing.

And that… that, was really frustrating.

He signed the last form and one of the security guards took it back to the securities office. There was an unseen transaction in the office, and two guards returned. One with his travel bag, and another with his sword, which was wrapped heavily to conceal its presence.

The man with the bag approached him.

* * *

Sakura was restless.

He had promised to be at the terminal, but when had she reached it, he wasn't there.

Next, she had tried the baggage claim. When he wasn't there either, she had to ask for assistance.

As it turned out, he'd been pulled aside for possessing a weapon. Though it was likely he had supplied a proper permit for it in China, he had lost it in his haste to exit the plane. Now, they were likely checking him over and confirming his story.

Nothing too serious, as the one guard that she had asked said.

Regardless, she went to see him. Perhaps even verify his story… whatever it might be.

She turned the corner, and to her amazement… and intense satisfaction… there he was. Two guards were with him and they were calmly discussing something. She smiled.

She had to resist the urge to rush to him… something that would take a lot of self control.

At a forced ease, she casually walked towards them, her fingers interlaced behind her back.

* * *

"So, now that we've confirmed your place with the Li Clan of Hong Kong, You'll receive the proper immunities you would expect. However, as you've lost your papers for your property here…" He nodded at the wrapped sword in his partner's hands. "We'll accompany you until we reach the exit." He looked at Syaoran's curious expression. "Just so you won't have to repeat an explanation that would possibly cause you more trouble."

"Oh? Trouble? Syaoran? Now how would those two words not go together?" A taunting voice mused.

Syaoran turned away happily.

"Sakura! I-" He stopped abruptly when he saw her outfit. "-don't think that that is a look that I've seen before… trying something new?" He inquired.

Sakura smiled as she sauntered up to him. Nonchalant, she put her arms around him and gave him a loving embrace.

It took all the will she possessed to resist the urge to open up and pour out everything that had happened.

He acted without surprise and responded in kind.

With nothing but just feelings, they shared the moment together.

* * *

Several minutes and a kiss later, the two parted slightly, but did not separate entirely. As always, they were not aware of their audience.

A guard coughed.

As sudden realization settled in, the two sprung apart.

Though Sakura failed to blush, there was a sheepish grin on her face.

Syaoran grinned as well, and Sakura nearly lost it. The glittering that was on her lips actually looked pretty interesting fixed to his. But she wasn't able to decide whether it clashed with his personality or not… but she wouldn't tell him anything.

She tried to hide her smile, but to no avail.

"What?" He asked lightly, as she continued to cast quick glances in his direction.

She shook her head to signify that it was nothing.

He didn't believe her.

"Come on?" He mock pleaded. "Tell me!"

Sakura shook her head playfully.

He continued to stare at her, and the guards were starting to get antsy. One of them coughed with his hand to his mouth. He subtly rubbed his lip with a finger.

Syaoran got the hint.

He looked at Sakura's lips, which seemed to sparkle less than when he saw her earlier. He continued to look into her eyes as he wiped the back up his hand across his lips. Her eyes shifted and he took a look himself. Glitter…

He looked up and she went to turn away, but he caught her hand and shot her a questioning look.

She shrugged and smiled.

"I don't know… I thought it looked good…"

"Sure…" He turned to the guards. "I apologize for the distraction. If you will, lead on."

With that he took his pack and slung it over his shoulder. The guard with the bundled sword nodded his assent and started walking forward, and Syaoran followed in suit. With Sakura close in tow.

Nonchalantly, she slipped her arm around his and leaned against him, but said nothing.

He smiled. 

She sighed happily. It was a good decision on her part after all.

And together, they walked on.

* * *

A/N: No cliffhanger this time... maybe next time... but this time I gave them (and some desperate readers) some peace. 

It might be some of the last peace for a while... so enjoy it! (Review and let me know what you think so far.)


	16. The Tempest

Chapter 16: **The Tempest**

For the most part, they had remained pretty quiet.

He would look at her, she would glance back, but neither of them wanted to be the first to say something.

He was worried. Something wasn't right. She was way too quiet to be the Sakura he knew.

He had to say something…

…but what?

"Sakura?"

She looked up at him with an inquiring look.

"Are you sure everything is ok?" He mentally kicked himself. He had meant to circumvent the main topic of discussion… but oh well.

She looked at him curiously before she added a feint in her speech. "Of course everything is ok. I'm in great shape these days." She looked up slyly. "Don't you think so?"

He did stare at her form. It was very appealing… but that wasn't the point. He sighed.

"Look…" He paused. "Tell me when you're ready. I won't be going anywhere until you do."

"Sure thing." She quipped shortly.

Syaoran sighed. He supposed it was just as good to leave it like that. They were almost to the exit anyway.

Though… he just couldn't settle his thoughts. There were too many discrepancies.

The message on his phone, the relieved Sakura on the phone, the desperate Sakura afterwards, and the Sakura now… dressed as though she wanted to hide her identity, and an act that was easy to see through. He could see that she'd be worried about Eriol's murder, and the fact that the ones who had committed the act were after her, but with no where to look for certain, and with barely a full day to travel, they wouldn't know that she was here… and even if they did, they wouldn't be here this quickly. So then… this paranoia… this attitude… what caused it?

Ah. She had used the Dream card… She had seen the future…

He looked at her concerned. What could possibly change her so strongly? Only something significantly bad… that was the only thing it could be.

And now he knew why she was keeping quiet.

He decided to hold all questions of that nature until they got back to her apartment.

A flash overhead caught his eye and he looked up.

Through one of the upper windows, the flashes continued against the darkened night sky. Lightning…

The weather was getting bad.

* * *

A gentle rain had begun to fall and a rumble of thunder was heard in the distance.

With this, most people were moving off the streets in favor of shelter. In suburbia Tokyo, this was even more so, as the sidewalks were empty.

…or were they?

Though the rain fell heavier, some movement could still be seen. Movement belonging to that of a slender figure, whose shoulders were covered by a dirty cape draped over the person's body, and a hood that covered the majority of their face, which was impossible to see in the torrent laden darkness. In their feminine hand, was a single torn page of an address book.

Only one name was circled on the slowly disintegrating item.

Kinomoto Sakura.

* * *

Sakura stopped at the entrance/exit doors of the airport and stared outside the glass at the raging elements.

It looked bad.

Her hand went to her arm. Even the cards would be no use. She sighed, and then turned around to see how Syaoran was doing.

It looked like he just had to finish his business with the guard and then he'd be all set. She smiled. It would be good to get back home… she could only imagine how worried the others were.

For now, she was content to just be with Syaoran.

* * *

The guard smiled and handed Syaoran the bundle that contained his sword, and then extended his hand.

Syaoran took the bundle and stowed it under his arm, then shook hands with the guard.

"I'm sorry for having troubled you and your companions. I can only offer my thanks to you for having understood the situation as best you could."

The guard nodded.

"You're forgiven, and you're welcome." He smiled. "Please enjoy your stay with your girlfriend."

Syaoran flushed slightly as he thought about 'your girlfriend' and the word 'enjoy' in the same sentence. Despite the impure but healthy thoughts, he nodded once and the guard turned about and departed.

In turn, he turned around to Sakura, who, was looking at him.

"Well…" She started. "What shall we do about this?" She motioned her hand to the weather outside.

Syaoran sighed. It was really pouring out. So he did what made sense, and went outside. After all, the main entrance was covered past the roadway and into the parking lot. He patted her shoulder when she came out behind him.

"I'll let you know after I hail a cab." He said with a smile before walking to the road.

Sakura just looked at him and shrugged.

"Ok…"

* * *

Sakura yawned as she stretched out in her seat. For her, on top of little sleep, a little magic use, and a future she wished she never dreamt, more than anything… she was tired from the time on her feet. And, though it was a far cry from comfort, the back seat of a cab was more than enough for her needs.

But what made it worth everything was the person beside her.

With a smile, she put her hand in his.

Syaoran felt Sakura's hand going to his, and with his free hand, removed the pack-strap from his shoulder and set it in the seat beside him, with his bundled sword at his feet. He then turned to her.

"Sakura, I-"

She put a finger against his lips and shook her head, motioning to him that she didn't want words… just each other.

With that, she didn't wait for a response, and slowly removed her finger and replaced it with that of her lips. It was short. But that was a test kiss. The next would see if there was anything that could make for a more enjoyable night when they returned.

She went again, her eyes sparkling, and delivered another smooth kiss, a bit longer this time, and then she broke away. Syaoran gave her a look of inquiry, but she ignored it.

This time, as she leaned forward, Syaoran was more prepared, and met her halfway. By this time, their hands were apart again, and now used to brace themselves better. They were still in the back of a cab after all…

Now, Sakura's heart was settled a bit, and even the frightful storm outside did not shake her. She felt safe.

* * *

In the rearview mirror, the driver had found a soap opera.

His two fares had seemed clearly interested before, but now… now they were simply enamored with each other. He had to admit it was something of the unusual sort.

Usually, he only gets the stressed out businessmen, lowlifes, or even tourists. Seldom does he get couples, and if he does, it's usually just the one-night-standers who take their partner to the nearest love hotel, and get to it. And in the rarest of cases, he may even get an honest couple… but they only want to get from one place to another, and they never show signs of affection… not even once.

Now, however, he has discovered two young people who are truly unique. A couple who, despite the storm and the sketchiness of a cab, have enough self pride that they can be honest with their feelings.

He looked up again. This time the girl was teasing her boyfriend by playing hard to get all the way to the side of the seat. Her actions were hard to fathom.

All in all, it was definitely entertainment… and best yet, it was the kind that paid him!

He smiled to himself, and looked at the road for a moment before looking back to the mirror.

So intent was his pleasure on the events that he had not realized that he was straying too far to the left, and did not see the obstruction on the roadside.

And it was fast approaching…

* * *

Sakura had been enjoying kissing Syaoran, but for no apparent reason to him, she retreated to the far left side of the seat.

She had suddenly realized. If she continued now, the flare they could produce later would probably diminish. It was best if she restrained herself just a bit. Perhaps if she played the situation, she would come out a winner. Again.

She did feel sorry for breaking off though. After coming all this way, just to have a little tease.

_Gods… what am I becoming?_

She turned up her hands and looked at them, before thinking that perhaps she was on her own.

Syaoran looked at her strangely. She was acting pretty weird after all.

He went to say something.

"S-"

-Pppffhh!-

A loud explosion of escaping air blew away any train of thought that he possessed.

A screeching of both metal and rubber rang as clear as the cursing from their desperate driver, the action kicking up a dense spray of water as the vehicle careened out of control, its front swinging towards the sidewalk and its hydroplaning rear opening into the empty opposing lane.

Surprise was engraved into Sakura's face and before terror could replace it, momentum and force threw her across the seat, and hard against Syaoran.

Shouts and curses continued from the driver as the vehicle hooked around before coming to a stop on the sidewalk, just inches from the nearest building.

Without hesitation, the driver turned off the engine and the vehicle grew quiet as the elements outside continued their violent symphony. All vehicle occupants grew silent… not sure what to do next.

Suddenly, life seemed to jump back into the driver.

He turned around.

"Are you all right!" He asked with genuine concern.

Syaoran nodded of himself, and Sakura, who was still clutched in his arms.

The driver sighed quick relief. He mentally chided himself for being so reckless, and hoped that he hadn't permanently scarred the two.

He then mentioned something about checking the vehicle and added that they could stay as just as long as needed to keep the rain off, and that he would attempt to call another cab to get them on their way.

Syaoran just agreed, and held Sakura closer.

* * *

Sakura slowly opened her eyes. She wasn't sure when, but sometime while she had been in Syaoran's arms, she had fallen asleep. She blinked a couple times and went to move, but two arms around her kept her loosely in place.

Given the past… well, duration of time, she was too lazy to attempt to move. For now, she was content as she could be. And somehow… she was sure he had been awake the entire time.

"How long was I out?" Asked Sakura softly.

Syaoran shifted. His reply was also soft, and to the point.

"About 15 minutes."

He stroked her back, carefully enough to avoid pulling her hair that lay hidden beneath her sweatshirt.

"In that time, our driver has noted that the car has suffered minor damages… but nothing that he can fix here. He also discovered the sharp metal bushing that shredded our tire not too far from here. It was some kind of fatigue damage of the storm drain. He had just been over too far."

He looked down to see if she was still with him.

"Sakura?" He asked in a very soft voice.

"Mmmhmm." She replied in a sleepy voice. Her eyes were closed.

"Anyway…" He continued. "He had attempted to use his communication equipment to radio for another cab, but it was dead. I guess the fuses blew or something… or maybe too much interference from the storm." He trailed off from the last word.

Sakura nodded lightly to prove she was still listening. He continued.

"In any respect, we are stuck here, until he finds a phone to call in our position." He rubbed her more. She hummed in response.

"So basically… you better get comfortable."

Sakura snuggled as best she could and closed her eyes tighter with happiness.

And outside the cab, the storm continued to rage on… an ever fearful and threatening tempest of the darkest night.

* * *

Several blocks away, a small outcropping of payphones lined the corner of the street. All phones subject to the harshness of nature's fury, and each perfectly awaiting a caller's need. All that is… except for the one on the end, which was missing.

Or was it?

While the receiver was gone, the phone cord remained. But it was taunt.

Further down, the receiver hung upside down, swung slowly back and forth by the driving rains. And it was active.

"Hello… hello?" A voice on the other end asked in an almost searching tone. With the increasing static interference from the storm, it was almost eerie.

"Hello? Cab 314? You request assistance at what location?"

"Hello?"

And as the water dripped steadily down from the phone, the view projected went down as well… until that view was the same as the one level with the street.

On the sidewalk, a dark object lay on the sidewalk, rain soaked and unmoving… and as a crimson liquid trickled down the curb, it mixed with the pooling waters on the street, and the waters turned red… mixed by the steady fall of the tempest's test.

* * *

Syaoran sighed tiredly.

Their driver had been gone a long time. He must have had trouble either finding a phone, or finding one that works.

He looked at the cab number on the radio. 314…

He mentally shrugged. It was an unimportant number… one that there was no use in remembering anyway.

Outside, it looked as though the rain was letting up. He wasn't sure whether this would be brief, or long term, but regardless…

He decided it was time. With that, he roused Sakura.

* * *

Sakura was having a wonderful dream. It was as though everything was normal again in her life. She was doing great health-wise. She had a great boyfriend named Li Syaoran. She had great friends and a great family.

It was one of those warm kind of dreams that you just don't wish to wake from…

But unfortunately, that's just what she did.

As she opened her eyes from the gentle but persistent shaking, she lost all hope and happiness as reality flooded back into her mind.

Then she looked at the person who had been shaking her.

Well, she thought, maybe not all the happiness.

"Sakura." Syaoran pushed verbally.

She blinked.

"The rains have stopped." He started. "Let's take this as an opportunity to head back. It may not last long, but let's take the chance."

She nodded, and pushed away from his chest.

Such a disappointment… it was such a comfy spot too.

With a sigh, she collected herself and opened the door. Syaoran followed, and slung his pack over his shoulder, and tucked his bundled sword under his arm.

"Well," He started. "Let's go."

He started walking away and Sakura was about to follow, when she remembered something.

"Wait."

She went back to the cab and tucked some money in the armrest. She made sure the doors were shut and ran back to Syaoran's side.

"Ok." She stated simply. "I just thought to give him the price of the memory." She said with a smile, and turned on.

"Well then… let's go home." She added, and wrapped her arm around his.

With that, she led him down the street.

While in the darkness more than two blocks away, a shadow began to move.

* * *

Sakura hung on Syaoran's arm laughing hysterically.

To lighten to mood on the walk back, they decided to recap the night's events, and they focused on the funnier parts.

"I liked the glitter… Personally," Sakura said while prodding his ribs. "and I think you should consider wearing it more often…"

He pulled away.

"Oh com'on!" She mock pleaded. "Just for me! We won't have to go anywhere, I'll just keep you in my room."

Syaoran shook his head.

"You have too many ideas these days…" He told her outright. "Whatever happened to that shy little girl I fell in love with all those years ago?"

She looked at his smile and slugged him lightly on his upper arm.

"Well!" She snorted indignantly. "That… 'little girl' grew up. Into a 'woman'…" She smiled, and added with a wink. "Who just knows what she wants!"

"'Woman'" Syaoran quipped. "So what you're saying is that you're old?"

Sakura scowled.

"But that's what you just said… had you been the little girl I knew you for, you'd be barely into the prime years now." He mocked.

Sakura balled her fist. He was pushing it…

"But then you went and said that 'woman' bit, and now I'm not sure what I want."

Sakura started to launch into a full rebuttal. "Well, I at least…"

She stopped in mid sentence and her eyes narrowed. Someone or something was watching them.

She looked over.

Syaoran felt it too. He was at the ready.

But from where? Nothing she sensed seemed to be understandable. The pattern was too haphazard… too random.

She looked at Syaoran. He seemed to be feeling the same thing. He was starting to get the bundle undone.

Suddenly, just as it began, it stopped.

She started to sweat. The feeling… this feeling… she knew what it reminded her of.

When Eriol was creating situations in which she needed to convert the cards, he would throw the presence of Clow Reed. Similar…

But when he'd do so, it was as though it was really strong, a clear essence. Nothing like this…

With the way this energy fluxuated, she couldn't help but get the impression that whoever responsible, they were toying with them. It was very un-nerving.

Her hand slowly crept to her arm. With only two cards, how could she fight? The… one card… was unusable… so that left only the Time card.

She gritted her teeth. It would have to do.

She looked back to Syaoran, to see how he was doing, and was surprised to see that his sword was still bundled. Then she looked harder. It was worse… one of the main clasps was broken. It must have happen in the cab incident.

This wasn't good.

From the darkest point in the darkest alley, a figure started to emerge.

Sakura felt her muscles tense throughout her body. This was it… this was the source of the energy. And though their clarity was obscured, Sakura felt her bones quake with fear.

Though the details were obscured, she could scarcely make out the figure's covering, which consisted of a multitude of dirty and tattered rags that blew about in the wind, and a hood that covered their face in complete and utter darkness. Though the build of the figure was rather impressive, they looked like a living representation of the angel of death. Apropos of the apocalyptic shadow that existed only as the harbinger of greater despair… and fate's last gift.

She shuttered.

There was only one conclusion she could reach. This was one of Eriol's killers. The legacy of those who disrupted the magical orders and the ones that were responsible for Clow's death. The thieves of the artifacts…

The hunters…

As she stood ready, thousands of thoughts ran through her mind. Many of those were questions.

Should she use the time card now, and get away? Or should she save that power for another time… not release too many of her abilities right away?

Or use the other card… no… the other card only was enough for one person, and she couldn't afford to try it differently now.

She looked over at Syaoran, who had a strained look on his face as he tried to claw through the outer coverings with no avail. She had to make a decision.

She couldn't fight with the magic she had… and Syaoran, who could fight, was restricted.

She put her hand on the cards.

This was her only chance.

* * *

The address was now gone, and the paper fully disintegrated by the rain and winds… but that did not matter. The figure had reached their goal.

But now, their garments were soaked, and their movements restricted. The cape that had kept the cold out before, now only served to make the body colder while it remained in contact.

The hood was sagging heavily down over their face, and wet strands of hair hung low past where the hood ended.

The figure seemed unsteady on their feet, and it was only a moment longer before they sunk to their knees.

With just a hand, they seemed to run their fingers over the lower part of the door, and from beneath the hood, they seemed to be crying. Tears of relief.

Slowly… the hand crept up the side of the door… and pressed the button for the door bell.

* * *

Upstairs, in Sakura and Tomoyo's apartment, Touya, Yukito, Spinel, and Kero all sat around doing their own things.

Yukito was in the kitchen, sitting down to a sandwich. Touya was resting on the couch, reading a magazine. Kero was asleep on Sakura's bed. And Spinel… he was still working diligently on piecing together the mysteries of the artifacts.

So far, preparation for their defense was coming along slowly. But to them, there was still some time. After all, it wasn't possible for the hunters to be a threat this soon.

-Ding Dong-

The door bell rang, and everyone shifted where they were.

Touya put down his magazine and stood up. He looked to Yukito, and Yukito motioned towards him. He nodded.

"Ok then… I'll get it." He told everyone, and then proceeded down the stairs.

* * *

"Time!"

At once, time began to roll backward while Sakura and Syaoran remained still. But something was wrong. The mysterious figure was still moving forward.

Sakura felt her heart gripped in an icy terror.

The magic wasn't having an effect on him. She looked to Syaoran and he nodded. Without further exchange, they both began to back down the street.

Suddenly, something wet hit her leg. And then another against her chin. And then more against other body parts, but not from overhead… it was from underneath.

The rain from before… it was going back up.

Her eyes opened with realization. Time was still going backwards.

With that in mind, she cancelled the effect, as it wasn't worth it trying to go back if their opponent was still unchanged.

Time turned right, and the rain fell back to the ground.

Sakura looked back to Syaoran, desperation in her eyes. He still couldn't get the bundle undone.

He looked back.

"It's no good!" He shouted above the sound of the rain. "Let's by some time."

She nodded.

"On my count then?" She asked him. "On three?"

Syaoran nodded.

"One…"

Sakura smiled.

"Two…"

Syaoran tensed at the same time she did. There was still no change in the hooded figure's gait. It was time.

"THREE!"

At that mark, they both ran for it.

As it was, Syaoran had become as good a sprinter as his beloved Sakura, so the thought of anyone being able to keep up was ludicrous.

Sakura looked at Syaoran, who had his pack slung across his shoulder and his bundle tucked under his arm. He smiled.

Looking back, the figure was being out distanced, and looked as though he would disappear altogether.

* * *

After what seemed to be ten blocks, they slowed to a fast walk, then a slow one, and then they stopped for a break.

Though it was unlikely that he could follow, Sakura thought that it would be best to keep moving.

So she did what she needed to, and took this moment to stretch out her leg muscles. She invited Syaoran to join her.

They did some major leg muscle work, just so next time, if it was needed again, they wouldn't cramp up. It was already a good thing that the rain had stopped after the sixth block, but if they were to run again with the wet clothes… it might be bad un-stretched. After a few more minutes, Sakura wandered over to a step and sat to rest.

She sighed.

It was a good thing she decided to where the clothes she did… otherwise she'd be having a hard time.

She looked over to Syaoran. He must be uncomfortable…

Syaoran yawned, and noticed that Sakura was staring at him. It'd be a good thing if they could just make it back to her place… then they might have some what of a group front to give her some leeway.

He nodded at her to make sure she knew everything was good. She smiled and he went back to attempting to undo his bundle. Without a sharp object though… it was close to impossible.

Sakura sighed.

Was that really a hunter? Just his presence had been so… intimidating… How was she supposed to fight five of them? It seemed impossible.

No wonder Eriol was killed… her hopes sunk. No wonder… I'm going to die.

Just then, she heard the sound of a car.

It was about time… no matter how serious a storm, anything less than a typhoon and the streets should be loaded.

The thoughts gave her chills.

Maybe there was something else at work… that made people more weary… maybe…

She shook her head to clear the thoughts, her eyes shifting back towards the car. A police car.

With renewed hope, she jumped off the step and went to the road.

* * *

Syaoran had just been trying to pry loose the belt that held the bundle secure, when he saw Sakura hurriedly jump from her seat and rush to the road. Curious, he let his eyes follow the path of her gaze.

Ah… a police car.

Perhaps they could help them out…

* * *

Sakura managed to get the car's attention, and it slowed to a stop.

Two officers got out and the one from the passenger side came forward.

"What seems to be the problem ma'am?" He asked kindly. He approached cautiously just in case.

Sakura nearly collapsed emotionally.

She told him all about how they were trying to get home from the airport, and about the cab, and the driver that never returned from getting help, and how they decided to walk when the rain stopped, and about the threatening figure that was coming at them from the shadows. Then she gave all the details she could about what he looked like.

She hoped that he was taking her seriously because he was just nodding a lot and not saying much. And then towards the end, he was looking a little skeptic.

He frowned.

"I'm sorry… but I have serious doubts in your story just now." He said sternly. "We were just on the way to check on a cab that seemed stranded and was called in. However, we were only told this less than ten minutes ago, and that there were still two passengers within the vehicle. If what you say is true, then you could tell me what cab you were in?"

Sakura drew a blank… she couldn't. "I-I don't know. I guess I wasn't really paying attent-"

"314." Cut in Syaoran's voice.

The officer switched his gaze to him.

"We were in cab 314. I know for a fact." Syaoran continued.

The officer taking the notes frowned. He looked down to his paper and then to his partner who nodded. He looked up at both Syaoran and Sakura.

"While that is right, there are two things that I don't understand… 'holes' in your story… if you will." He flipped through his notes and then continued. "If you were truly in cab 314… and stayed there until it stopped raining, then why are you both soaked?"

Sakura mentally kicked herself. It was impossible to come out and tell them the truth now…

"Also…" He continued. "That site is over fifteen blocks from here. I doubt you covered that much distance in less than ten minutes." He paused. "In fact, I-"

A shrill whistle cut him off and he looked to his partner, who was pointing up the street.

Sakura turned at the whistle too, and her voice caught in her throat.

It was him.

"Ah…" She started, but it was all she could do to make a sound.

"That's him." Stated Syaoran. He too, like Sakura was surprised to see him here. And even more surprising… was the fact that he didn't come from where they'd been, but from where they were going.

Somehow… he was ahead of them.

* * *

When he first saw him, he figured that the guy was a wandering beggar or homeless man. It wasn't until he saw the kids, that he knew this guy was different. As protocol had it, he drew his gun.

It was better to shoot first… than die.

* * *

Sakura watched intently as the situation developed before her eyes.

The officer who had been so quick to dismiss their story was now acting as though he had felt the same energy that both she and Syaoran had felt. And that… that was highly unlikely.

As he drew his gun, Sakura wondered if this was why she only saw four hunters in her dream… was this because he was destined to die here?

She could only hope…

Regardless, she'd watch to see how this would play out. Hopefully with a good ending.

* * *

"Sir… please desist your forward movement and comply with city laws, or you will be deemed a threat." The police officer stated. His gun still pointed toward the ground.

The figure did not stop, but kept going.

"Sir, please cease your motion or I will be forced to fire!"

No response.

This time, the officer lifted his gun.

"Sir… this is my last warning."

He was fully out of the shadows now, but his face remained concealed in the darkness spawned by his hood. He did not stop.

He was within fifteen meters.

Finally, the officer spoke again.

"Your warnings are up. If you do not stop, I will be forced to fire. Don't make me shoot you…"

Then, he stopped.

For the next thirty seconds, there was nothing. Then, very slowly, he raised his arm and his hand slid from his tatters, causing everyone to jump from the surprise.

The figure… his hand, was completely skeletal… or rather, a normal hand and arm, but there were human bones, attached to a reddish-black glove that held the adorned bones as though it represented some kind of perverted exo-skeleton. In short, it was creepy.

He was reaching for something in the folds of his tattered covering.

"FREEZE!" Screamed the officer. He was pointing his gun at the figure with a wild look in his eye. Still at the door of the police car, was his partner, who also had his gun trained on the figure.

A standoff.

Meanwhile, from the sidewalk, Syaoran and Sakura watched intently.

In the minutes that followed, no one moved. They dare not even breathe, so intent they were…

And sometime in the quiet… the wind began to blow.

* * *

A/N: Here's your mega-chapter before I leave you all for a week and a half (that's time you'll have to do without me, but I'll be back around july 11th or so)

And to further torture you, here's a preview for the next chapter:

Chapter 17: **Crimson Shadow**

Sakura could not think. She could not close her eyes. She dare not fall asleep. The memories were too severe… much too severe… 

And if she managed to forget about it for a moment, the tv reminded her… or the radio… it was everywhere… and it would not leave her.

And worse… the crimson shadow had fallen… and deep down, she knew that Tokyo would never be the same.


	17. Crimson Shadow

Chapter 17: **Crimson Shadow**

Sakura's lungs began to burn, and it wasn't until that moment that she realized that she had forgotten to breathe.

With that known, she took a breath. Though while it lessened the pain in her chest, it did nothing for her nerves… Her nerves that remained spastic and frayed. And the wind did not help, as it continued to bore the wet chill of her clothes, down into her soul.

Even the presence of Syaoran next to her, his strength and stance… it merely echoed her own… and the shadows of a dream of the hours ago clung to her now more than ever before.

For she had taken a glimpse of perspectives... and she knew that the nightmare of her dreams… had bled into her reality.

* * *

The forward officer tightened his grip on his gun as a noticeable bead of sweat trailed down his face. 

His partner at the vehicle's driver side door leaned into it as a bracing support, and kept his barrel leveled at the tattered figure with his arm still hidden within the rags that clothed him.

Regardless, all eyes were trained on the figure… while the figure did nothing more than look on.

It was uncertain where its eyes were looking, but it was without a doubt that they had passed the officers and now rest solely on Sakura.

Under this gaze, she shivered. A state she would have remained in had Syaoran not put his hands upon her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

She would have smiled, but under the tension, such was impossible. Though, to show her gratitude, she squeezed one of his hands with her own.

Suddenly, Syaoran's grip tightened and Sakura knew why…

The figure, who had since the warning ignored the officer who cried out, now had the opening of his hood trained right on the man who had stayed his movement. Without a second's pause, his arm bulged as unseen tendons tightened and caused the reddish-black material to cast an odd fluid-like illumination on the air around it, as the material shimmered like the scales of fish, and the ancient bones of a human's forearm cracked and split in ways that would not hinder movement. And in that moment… pulled on the thing beneath his tatters.

A single shot rang out, and a bullet was heard ricocheting off something hard.

It was a single warning shot from the forward officer, who now had the gun trained unmoving on the figure's throat. So steady an aim it was, that it took him a moment to see what it was that the figure had pulled out. The exact thing that all others were staring at…

A stick.

What more, it looked to be just a simple wooden rod. Something that a dog might be found retrieving in a park. And not only did it not look like a threat, but it looked brittle.

The officer smiled nervously. Anyone who would look at his face would assume him a victim of a simple joke… nothing more, nothing less.

It was just foolishness after all…

He glanced back to his partner, who looked to be sighing in relief.

In a moment of his own relief, he chuckled nervously to himself. He looked back to Sakura and Syaoran. He briefly wondered if he wasn't part of some kind of outrageous joke.

* * *

Sakura's eyes had not once left the figure before her. 

Though that looked like a simple stick, she knew that it could be much more.

The way he was holding it… the posture of his body… the ripple of magic when he pulled it… the-

Wait… the ripple of magic?

A thought just struck her. Although both she and Syaoran saw that, there was no way the officers would know. In fact… they'd be completely oblivious.

…And then they might drop their guard.

She turned her head to the officers and then back to the figure she knows to be a hunter.

In just a glimpse she sees something else shimmer in front of him. It's his breath… as one would see a breath in winter… and in an angle perpendicular to the stick, something curved and blue appears in the region the breath strikes… and then fades away.

She goes to open her mouth to speak… but knows the words would never reach.

* * *

As the sweat cooled on his forehead, the forward officer relaxed his arm and closed his eyes as he attempted to wipe the sweat from his brow. 

It is just the opening the hunter requires.

With superhuman speed, he dashed forward and quickly closed the gap between him and the officer, who at this time had just opened his eyes.

* * *

The hunter swung his stick and amidst the accompanying spray of blood, there was a slight shift of faint blue and suddenly, the officer's arm… just below the elbow, was gone… 

Through the view of the moment, the officer's face contorted with surprise at the sight of the severed arm.

However, before he is able to react further, the hunter raised his free hand up to the man's chest and extended his fingers. Without a seen cause, the officer's chest looked as though it had been pelted with shrapnel, and from his back, exploded outward a thick mist of blood.

The officer's face… which at some point would normally have expressed an emotion of shock at a severed arm, had remained unchanged as his body fell to the road.

The arm itself, which still clutched the gun in its hand, fell to the ground with a sickening noise… just behind its former body.

As if in sudden response to the act, gun shots split the night air… as the fallen officer's partner releases his fury upon the tattered figure. However… the shots were erratic and the aim wild, so the bullets missed their intended target with every attempt.

* * *

Seizing the moment, Syaoran grabbed Sakura's hand and the two run off into the darkness.

* * *

With concrete bits rising from the ground like a field of spontaneous geysers, the hunter raised himself from his crouched position at the feet of the fallen officer. He paid no mind to his disappearing prey, nor did the hail of bullets all around him stop him from standing. What he did do, was raise the stick once more.

* * *

The officer shielded behind the vehicle seemed to panic more with every failed shot. Unintelligent and un- interpretable words and curses streamed from his lips. His every moment was spent as he attempted to fell the thing before him. 

He watched as the figure stood and raised his stick once more… and with every second, the officer's free hand raced along his utility belt… feeling for additional clips.

Three already lay empty at his feet… as well as a blanket of empty shells.

And as his hand continued to race, his gun fired its last shot.

His eyes widened with realization.

His time had run out.

* * *

The hunter ignored the shots as he continued to extend his arm outward. 

Through the noise of the gunshots, the bones on his arms creaked and groaned with protest.

Then, there was silence. The shots had stopped. It was time.

With a squeeze of his hand, the stick in his hand grew in diameter and length. Two short handles grew out of it, one near the middle, and another further down the shaft, which had started to curve as it grew. At its tip, a long, curved, blue blade extended until the weapon came to resemble that of a scythe.

With that, the hunter extended his other arm, which mirror the first, and took hold of the first handle. The other hand moved to the first handle, and the scythe was rotated to a point that its handle rested against his shoulder and the deadly blade was pointed toward the sky.

Then, he moved forward... a movement that wasn't lost on the remaining officer who started screaming something and dug franticly through his vest and pockets for something he could use. But it was an action in vain.

Before the officer could even back away, the scythe was loosed through the air and the distance closed. In the moment that followed, the blade passed with seeming ease through both the officer's torso and the car… severing the fuel line.

Then, just as the hunter spun around and repositioned himself and his weapon, with his back to the car… a spark from a free electric line found the fuel.

* * *

Several blocks away, Sakura and Syaoran continued to weave their way through the city. 

They had been running for all their worth, and by now were starting to felt the effects.

Suddenly, an explosion in the distance caught their attention and they looked back. Though the night sky prevented them from seeing smoke, it was clear from the splash of fire and reflections off the windows of the background apartment buildings.

Sakura felt her chest tighten. Though the shots had stopped a moment ago… she thought… hoped…

She lowered her head. It was only clear that she was wishing for something impossible.

Swallowing her fears, she turned back to Syaoran and looked into his eyes. He nodded, and they continued to run down the street. Though tired… rest at this point would equal death.

Sakura looked back to Syaoran again as he had returned to tearing at the casing of his sword. He was getting frantic.

She also knew that they couldn't keep running straight, or their trail would be even easier to follow. She had to break the pattern… but she didn't want to get lost either.

Suddenly, her eye caught sight of a familiar structure. One that she had passed by just tonight.

Without hesitation, she ran around the corner and started down the street. Luck was with her at last. It was completely open and completely reliable. She looked back to Syaoran and smiled.

This was it… this was the way back… she knew their troubles were far from over, but for the first time she felt relieved.

Then she looked ahead… and screamed as she toppled backwards, landing hard on the ground.

A shadow, huge and overbearing loomed over her.

Then, as it drew closer… it appeared to collapse in on itself. It was at this moment that she realized that its owner had tripped in response to her cry.

And… not only that… she caught the rank odor of vomit and alcohol. A drunk.

Then another form stumbled forward and stood near the first.

"Hmmm… 'ey… would ya lookit 'at." said a strangely familiar voice.

"What that?" replied the other. He seemed to waver on his feet as he checked her out. "Ah… now I remember." He said smugly. He slowly stepped out of the shadows.

"'lo frail… the night seems done some strange thangs… inna 'at right?"

Sakura scowled as she attempted to stand.

She didn't have time for this.

* * *

Fortune has some strange twists… or so they seemed to think. 

When she had appeared in their midst before, they were too out of sorts to do anything. Now however, they were ready for fun. And fun tonight seems to have come screaming into their territory.

The surer of the two approached her first, and offered his hand out to her as though to help her to her feet… but it was far more than just apparent that she had no intention of playing into his hand.

It was his turn to scowl when she swatted away his hand.

Now he was riled.

"Now that's not nice… here I try to help ya to your feet… and you go an' do something with such flare?"

He stepped back a moment to regain his balance, and watched as she got off the ground in a tired but still graceful manner.

He searched his memory. Was she that beaten up before? He decided that she was not.

Her hair which was so short and neat before was coming undone… but there were strands that hung down the front of her face that betrayed its true nature. Her pants and shirt appeared to be trashed… though whether from sweat or the rain, he didn't know. And her eyes… the eyes that were so steely and determined before… seemed to have broken. Even now, she seemed to look down on him, since she wasn't even looking at him, but behind her.

"Now 'ats enough frail. I was looking for a new bitch tonight… and I'm thinking that you'll do just fine."

With that, he reached out and grabbed her wrist while she was distracted.

She let out a surprised noise and tried to break free. But his grip was like iron.

The sight of her struggle was such a turn on. He knew it now… this night would be one he would never forget.

* * *

Syaoran hung back as Sakura attempted to break away from the man holding her. 

Though every impulse demanded he step in, he knew that he needed to conserve his strength.

There were much more serious matters at hand… and he knew that she could avoid conflict better than he.

With renewed focus, he attempted to cut the strap that held his sword within its packaging. But it was no use. He needed something sharp.

Just then, he glanced up to see the punk holding Sakura's wrist, try to pull her to him.

* * *

Sakura felt the grip tighten, and the punk grinned as he attempted to pull her closer. So she did just what the situation called for… and let him. 

However, as she was pulled she rotated her arm and with the force that he had created, smashed her elbow into his face. Then, her chance open… she pivoted past him and squeezed by his friend.

She was free… but wondered how much time had slid by…

* * *

The punk cried out in rage as he clutched his face… something warm flowed over his fingers. 

"…bitch…" he started softly as he wheezed in pain. "THAT FUCKING BITCH!" he cried out much louder.

"SHE BROKE MY FUCKING NOSE!" he screamed.

So… he would only do the logical thing… and make her scream.

With his hand fumbling to his pocket, he pulled out his butterfly knife, and opened it… blade extended.

* * *

Syaoran had cringed when he heard Sakura's elbow hit the punk's face. 

If the sickening crack hadn't informed him of the condition of the hoodlum's nose, then his incisive screaming confirmed it.

Then he saw the knife drawn… and could only think one thing: Perfect.

With a move they never saw coming, he dashed from the shadows that had kept him from their vision and kicked the knife out of the punk's hand and then swiveled about to deliver a concise and accurate blow to his midsection.

Both the punk and his knife, hit the ground at the same time.

Satisfied, Syaoran allowed himself a slight smile before he seized the knife and dashed after his girl.

Both of them disappeared once again… into the darkness.

* * *

"Yo man… you ok?" asked the punk's friend. 

He too had been knocked aside… more to just his surprise than anything physical… but all the same…

He looked at his friend. It was truly a pitiful sight. He was sprawled out amongst the trash bags and looked as though he were in too much pain to move.

To be a good friend, he was about to help… when a shadowed form moving towards them made him stop.

Having had enough, he put his hands up in a submissive gesture.

"Hey man… just go on by… we don't want anymore trou-"

He stopped short as the man's hand shot up and wrapped around his mouth… fingers digging into his neck. He could have sworn he caught a glimpse of red and bone…

The figure seemed to regard him for a moment, and then looked down at his companion who was lying unmoving and face bloodied.

Then, he returned full attention back to the man whom he had silenced mid-sentence.

He tightened his grip but a second and there was a small noise… and then he let him go. Without another glance, he continued on his way.

Meanwhile, the now released punk stood dead quiet… as the color drained from his face.

Fear held his eyes… as they stared straight ahead… and his hands trembled as they moved to his neck.

While his mouth opened, there was no sound… only a slight bubbling noise.

Very slowly… his hands moved away from his neck, and as his eyes inched down he could see them for how they were…

Then, he fell.

The will was gone… and so was the light…

As he watched the figure's back, the last thing he saw in his peripheral was a slowly advancing dark liquid, of the same nature that stained his hands…

* * *

In the alley, the punk with the broken nose had heard his friend speaking to someone else… and then there was silence as they walked away. 

Though he wasn't certain… it appeared to him as the man they met earlier in the night. Only the shoulders were less pronounced, but there could be no mistake…

After all… who else wore such tattered clothing in the middle of summer?

* * *

Sakura stopped running. It was pointless now anyways… 

She closed her eyes for the moment… just to determine her bearings.

Beside her, Syaoran stopped as well. She didn't need to see it when she could simply tell.

Keeping her eyes closed, she turned. She could feel the cascading energies as they churned the air around them… it could mean only one thing.

He was here.

With a feeling of facing the inevitable… she sighed, and opened her eyes.

* * *

Syaoran felt a slight change in the person beside him. 

Sparing the slightest of glances, he looked over to her. From her appearance he could see her resolve. She was tired of running… and with whatever fire she possessed, she'd stay and fight for everything she was worth.

He smiled.

Luckily…

The strap finally broke apart and the bundle slid off. Syaoran's impressive blade was finally open to the air.

…She didn't have to.

As the last remnants of its wrappings fell to the road surface, he stepped in front of Sakura and fully faced the hunter… head on… with his sword raised at an impressive offensive angle.

Now… this threat would discover the strengths accumulated these nine years since the magic was needed last.

"Wind…" said Syaoran as he pulled a small bundle of incantation paper slips from his pack, which he threw aside. He tucked the roll in his clothing and pulled one forth. His eyes narrowed and an encircling wind made his hair blow about.

"…slit the night as would a razor…" The paper stood straight and he pressed it to his sword. The violent swirl around him increased… building to an apex.

"…blessed forth by heaven's fury, DESCEND!"

With that, he thrust the sword forward and pierced the swirling mass encompassing his body, channeling the mass of wind toward the hunter. A hunter who to this point had shown no movement…

…and as the force of the wind broke into that which mirrored a thousand razors… his body disappeared within the hailing force.

Syaoran restrained his jubilance.

A single phrase was key to any battle… and he lived well to remember it. Never underestimate your opponent…

'Tch…"

The body was gone… no… relocated!

Without thought he thrust his eyes to the sky, and saw the dark shape falling fast above him.

There was no time…

* * *

All his life, Syaoran was taught with discipline and the skill needed to think when it came to a fight. 

Watch the opponent, learn from them… counter them…

Do not rely on chance. Chance is what leads men to their deaths. Learn to make the time… for it is time and thought which saves men from things such as chance.

Make the time…

But now… there wasn't any left.

There was nothing.

* * *

He closed his eyes… and smiled. 

If not time… if not chance… then it would be that… only that… of IMPULSE!

* * *

There was a loud slashing noise and a screech of torn concrete, but what had happened exactly remained unseen. 

Sakura did not know… but not only because of the debris cloud that followed… but because at that moment she was pushed back just prior to the event between them.

She cringed despite herself… she was better than this! There was no time now… not even to nurse her sore rear. She squinted up through the dust. What she saw made her heart skip a beat.

The hunter, who had drawn his small blade once more… had just carved a gouge in the street at least half a meter deep… and what's more, was completely uninterested in her. Instead, he was staring at the same thing she was.

Just through the parting in the dust, Syaoran stood with his sword held by one hand, with its blade resting across his shoulders. His shirt in front had what looked to be a huge tear in it… but his chest underneath remained intact. His eyes were shadowed by his hair, and he had a disturbing smirk on his face.

Clearly, there was an air of madness about him.

She scooted back until she felt a wall at her back. For the moment… it was more than apparent that this fight was all his. Which to her… was something to be thankful for.

Something else rested in her mind. She wasn't sure what it was… but something about this made her think of the arena in Hong Kong…

* * *

The hunter lifted his blade from the ground. Then regarded Syaoran's torn shirt. 

There was a chuckle of laughter and it came from the one who bore his mark.

"Come now…" Syaoran stated with a taunting edge. He raised his eyes out of the shadows of his face. Thinking was gone now… as it was in the arena… only action would speak volumes tonight.

"…is that the most you have to offer?"

He fondled the torn fabric and lifted his sword from its resting spot.

"Well then… shall we dance?"

In silent response, the hunter raised his stick and turned it once again, into its deadly scythe form. He repositioned it, and seemed to await the first move.

Though neither Syaoran nor Sakura had witnessed this version of his weapon before, it had no effect on Syaoran, who seemed to simply size him up.

"Heh… well, well… I guess that's a yes?"

Then, just like he was, he launched himself towards his opponent.

Just like a feather avoiding the wind push from the blade of a knife, the hunter pivoted in his defense and sought to strike Syaoran in his back. But Syaoran was prepared enough to block the blow and skid around to a position both favorable and protected.

Without another moment's pause… both blades hissed through the air and collided with a resulting shockwave as loud as it was powerful. Nothing was dislodged… but every window in the area groaned in protest.

Both combatants were pushed back, but managed to remain on their feet.

Then, Syaoran rushed him while he was still seemingly unprepared. However, the hunter had feinted the weakness and was more than ready for him. Both weapons fought for purchase yet both failed in their battle for supremacy.

The fight that followed left Sakura reeling. So swift and complex… their movements were difficult to follow… let alone understand. She could only trust in his instinct…

She smiled despite herself. For a 'little wolf'… he was certainly a feral beast. One might even say rabid.

Suddenly, while their blades locked, the hunter raised his hand to Syaoran's chest… and extended his fingers.

Luckily, Syaoran remembered the first officer, and managed to avoid what he could only refer to as 'Death's Touch'. Unfortunately, he didn't manage to avoid it completely, and his shoulder was brushed with something incredibly sharp… and horribly cold.

However… he knew that this moment was his.

With a sharp pull on his sword, it flung the scythe aside and against the side of the building across the street. Then, he used the momentum to twist around and deliver a forceful kick squarely into the hunter's abdomen. It was like kicking a building… but it was enough force to take the hunter to his knees.

Now was Syaoran's chance. With this… with this…

He raised his blade high into the sky.

* * *

Touya went to the door. He was unsure what he'd find… but a deep sense of foreboding rode in the pit of his stomach. 

With an unsteady hand, he pulled open the door and hesitantly looked out. He saw… nothing. There was no one there.

With a frown, he turned around… Good. There was no one behind him either. He sighed. For all that… then he stopped.

As he looked at the floor, he noticed the shadow across the bottom was different… raised. He turned back around and looked on the door stoop.

There, was a figure in tattered clothing… soaked through… and dirty.

A pronounced hood covered their face. He reached down and stopped. The feeling in his stomach intensified. But he had to know. With a tentative hand he reached forward.

* * *

Syaoran's blade streaked through the air towards his target with hopes of finding purchase through the ancient armor. 

What was expected least was the sword's sudden halt.

Syaoran looked down and clenched his teeth at the sight.

Somehow… the creaky ancient skeletal bone was not as weak as previously thought. For the hunter had blocked the blade within the valley of his crossed arms… which resembled an 'X'.

Then he closed his arms like one would close a pair of scissors… Syaoran's sword was trapped… and also, a strange blackness had begun to creep over the blade… something that threatened to consume it.

Something cold…

Cold…

* * *

Touya pulled his hand back once more. Whoever this was, they were freezing cold. 

He closed his eyes and balled his fists. It was all the more reason that he should just buck up and help.

His resolve confirmed, he grabbed an edge of the damp hood and rolled it back. A wet mass of hair lolled out and under it he could see a pale face. His eyes darted to the stranger's hands. They were definitely feminine.

A woman?

With haste he rolled her over and swept the hair from her eyes. Eyes that though closed… he recognized.

"Akizuki Nakuru…" he uttered.

How many times had she hung around his neck in that brief time that she schooled with him? How she ended up like this… he could only guess.

In any case… he needed to get her inside.

He got to his feet and rushed to the stairs.

"YUKITO!" He hollered up the stairs.

"I need your help!"

* * *

Syaoran felt something wet run down his shoulder. From his wound… it was as cold as- 

Hmmm…

There was still a chance to break free…

His eyes lit up with a renewed vigor as he took out an incantation paper, and slapped it onto his blade.

"HEAR ME!" He raged to no one in particular, as the black substance further consumed his blade.

"GOD OF FIRE!" At these words, a bright orange-red light overtook the blade.

"…he who created the inferno… he who scorched the seven kingdoms of the ancients… it is time again… let rage thy fury, heed my cry… and COME FORTH!"

* * *

Touya and Yukito laid the unconscious body of their former classmate on the couch. 

While he knew that it was in poor manners, he began to strip off her wet clothing while Yukito went to get fresh ones.

Fortunately for him her undergarments were not as he thought they would be, and he was able to leave those alone.

He pulled the blanket over her and tucked it just before her chin. Then he sat back.

For the horrible shape she was in… whatever her news, it couldn't be anything better than they already knew.

He sighed tiredly.

* * *

Syaoran gasped raggedly as the sharp impact with the building at his back forced the air from his lungs. 

While the incredible explosion did indeed free his blade from the hunter's black ice… it failed to improve his situation.

In fact… it seemed to get progressively worse at every interval.

He managed to steady his gaze just brief enough to see a glimmer of light reflect off his sword… which as of now, rested imbedded to its hilt within a building across the street.

This was bad…

Then he saw the hunter retrieve the scythe and hoist it upright.

Things had just gotten worse… but at least his focus still rested upon Syaoran and not Sakura, who at this moment was still hidden out of sight.

Syaoran took a moment to wipe the blood from his mouth with what was remaining of his sleeve. The wound on his shoulder wasn't deep… but it still hurt and bled profusely… It would be a hindrance were he to battle much longer.

It was time to find a way out.

Quickly his eyes darted around the street. Surely there was something he could use.

Then, his gaze came to rest on the slash in the middle of the street, which up until now he had assumed to be no more than half a meter, was apparently several, since water could be seen bubbling just above the raised edges. He must have pierced a water main… and what's more, it neatly rested directly between the hunter and himself.

There was still a chance.

Slowly, he pushed himself up the wall behind him. What he was about to do would mean revealing his ace… but at this point he saw no other alternative. After all… the hunter was nearly to the break… and he had to give it a shot.

He started to mumble an incantation under his breath. It was very soft, and the hunter would not be able to hear it this way…

"Imperial king of gods, thy divinity watches over all four corners …"

A dribble of blood ran down his face. He ignored it.

"Metal, wood, water, fire, earth, thunder, wind, lightning…"

Sweat pushed loose the clotted dirt on his face… and the salt from each drop burned his eyes when they made contact.

"The new command…"

He paused briefly, just to make sure he timed it right.

"Whirling blade of lightning…"

He closed his eyes and opened them. A determined look burned within.

"Obey… the command!"

He opened his hands and between them, a magical energy swirled and took form. He smiled as an eight cornered elaborately decorated compass appeared in his hands.

"Lasin Board."

And just like that, an energy beam shot out and nailed the hunter firmly in his chest… and did nothing but make him madder. But Syaoran did not notice this, as his eyes were focused mainly on the instrument in his hands.

"Just like that then…" he mused to himself.

The water on the street closest to the hunter started to freeze. He was almost there…

* * *

Yukito had returned with some of Sakura's clothes and put them in a neat stack on a table near the couch. 

At this point Nakuru's eyes had begun to flutter as she was regaining consciousness. Touya had to this point been cleaning her face of the dirt and sweat with that of a warm cloth. He stopped at her movement.

"S- Sa…" she murmured as her eyes squeezed tighter. She seemed to have trouble regaining her speech. She took a breath and opened her eyes… but her vision was to blurred to see the image before her.

"S-Sakura?" she asked tentatively as her hands slid from the confines of her blanket and felt her way towards the figure's face. But when she got there, she seemed taken aback.

"Touya? No… Sakura… where?" she struggled to speak, and the words sounded pained.

Touya couldn't remain silent any longer. It was true that he had never liked her much during their time together at school… but it wasn't as though he loathed her or distrusted her or anything like that… he had just been cautious. It was just a good way to be.

But now… looking at this person who seemed drained both physically and mentally… it was hard to feel anything but compassion. Though at the moment, the only thing he could say would be that which he didn't want to.

"I don't know. She ran out several hours ago. Went to the airport to pick up her boyfriend… but she has yet to return."

Nakuru seemed shaken at this on a profound level. Without giving it time to sink in, she began to slowly shake her head from side to side.

"N-no…" she stated desperately. "It's not… not… not safe…"

At the inquisitive looked on his face, she continued.

"Hunters… don't know how… beat me somehow… here… in Ja-pan…" she struggled to string the words together.

She wore a pained look on her face as she tried to sit up… but quickly fell back to the couch.

"Here…"

* * *

Syaoran smiled. 

He was here… or close enough.

At once, he began to channel the elements through his board in an unseen manner.

* * *

"What do you mean… here?" Touya demanded. Suddenly, with good reason, he was greatly concerned for his sister's well being. 

"Here… some… maybe… all… don't know."

"But where?" Touya said again.

Nakuru shook her head but was fading fast.

"Not sure… but here… To… kyo."

Unable to supply anything more, her eyes closed and her world was dark once more. While in Touya… welled a deep sense of desperation.

He had to go to her.

* * *

He had to give this a go… and if it worked, he knew he'd have to go to her. 

Syaoran had it all figured out. It had to work this time… or everything would be over.

He just had to wait for the perfect moment… the perfect step… the perfect-

"NOW!"

Just at that point, when the hunter had stepped just over the crack, Syaoran triggered the elemental force of water, and it exploded forth from the split street like a reversed waterfall.

In a matter of moments, the hunter was encased in a column of ice stretching as high as a three story building.

Syaoran smiled. While he thought that this would hardly stop the hunter… it should buy Sakura and him some time to make an escape.

As though knowing the plan, she quickly came out of hiding and arrived at his side as he went to retrieve his sword from the building. She flung his pack across her shoulder and instantly she had saved them one more thing. Finally, after a grueling minute, he managed to free his sword and the pair of them left as fast as they could… in hopes that their foe would remain sealed for a few moments longer.

This time, it was Syaoran who received support from Sakura, who had managed to recover during the fight.

He was grateful.

They had taken a few more turns and then all that lay between them and a safe route to Sakura's apartment was a complex series of sketchy alleys.

Sakura assured Syaoran that she had ample energy just in case… and they proceeded ahead.

* * *

On a suspicion from the earlier events, Sakura was hesitant about using the card strapped to her arm until she had no other choice. Fortunately for her, there was nothing that had posed a problem. 

Then she ran into something.

There was a surprised cry and a sound of someone crashing into some trash that littered the alley and then a hard collapse after. A moment later, there was a slurred voice asking if their fallen friend was alright.

Great… drunks.

Ignoring that lot again, she and Syaoran quickly changed their heading and ran down an adjacent alley… and right into trouble.

About twenty people were milling around doing various things in the narrow confines of their alley.

One group was playing cards on a makeshift table fashioned from a discarded electric cable spool and some plywood. Another group was fooling around on a fire escape. Another still was chilling to music, while others were spray painting the walls or some other criminal activity of vandalism.

As it was… they all seemed to represent one gang. And as one gang… they had all stopped their various activities to stare at their 'guests'. Well, all save one.

One of them was sitting apart from the others, and was facing a wall. Around him were piles of boxes and trash at his feet. The air about him seemed mournful an uninterested in other affairs. Although… it seemed that he wasn't completely oblivious to the happenings of the world.

Due to the sudden quiet around him, he became really still. Then, he slowly lifted his head, and turned around to peer over his shoulder. The recognition was instant… of both fronts.

For the one who now stood dimly in the distance was the same whom Sakura had already seen twice tonight. And despite his heavily bandaged face, it was clear that he bore an expression of acute hatred. His hand went to his face and tentatively touched his injury. The voice that next issued from his lips was one of a rolling, agonizing tone.

"You…"

A few other members of the gang turned their heads to look at him.

"You… broke my nose…" He swallowed. "And stole my knife…" He started to point. "And then… you let him… let him kill my friend."

"Well now you're in my territory…" he said starting to choke up. "And I'll be damned if I'll just let you walk away from me…"

The punk lurched forward, but made less than a step before losing his balance and falling backwards into the pile of boxes.

Sakura cringed. Though she wasn't entirely sure what he meant, she did take pity on him... the loathsome scumbag he is. She wasn't sure what to do… but all she, and at the moment, everyone else could do… was watch him struggle to get out of the pile that had fallen on himself. Yet for every box he swatted away, three more took its place. Truthfully… it was rather pathetic.

Sakura then felt a subtle tug on her sleeve from Syaoran.

What she greeted her eyes when she turned to look his way was not what she wanted to see. Because at that moment, there were at least fifteen more people and they were watching from behind Sakura and Syaoran. Needless to say… they were trapped… without an exit.

Then suddenly, the punk in the boxes stopped thrashing, and grew deathly quiet and still. As the color ran from his face Sakura quickly turned.

Behind them all was a man slowly advancing from the darkness of the alley they had come from. Her heart froze.

It was him.

* * *

It was him… the man who killed his friend. He knew that figure well… seriously… who else wore such clothes in the middle of summer? 

His heart froze.

He briefly wondered if the figure had come specifically for him.

He shook his head trying to purge the thoughts. No… he was after the others… he knew it. But still… why the hell was everyone standing around gawking? He had to warn them… do something more than spend the rest of his life lying on the ground.

Then, before he knew what he was saying, he opened his mouth, and in a raspy voice hollered into the night.

"What are you waiting for? KILL THEM!"

* * *

Syaoran felt Sakura shudder involuntarily at the wild scream behind them, and suddenly found themselves between the proverbial 'rock' and 'hard place' and at the sight of the murderous looks in the hostile crowd… things had just gotten worse. 

Without question, he started to draw his sword.

Just then, he felt Sakura's hand on his.

"Wait!" she pleaded, her voice carried something he did not recognize when he associated to her character. "Let's try to keep casualties to a minimum!"

He shot her a look of question, and before he could wonder longer, everything around him stopped.

She had used time.

* * *

Sakura let go of her arm where she had the cards. Though she had her suspicions… now wasn't the time to worry. 

Without pause, she grabbed Syaoran and pulled him forward, navigating her way through the motionless gang members.

In no time, they only had a few left to go, when she glanced back… just in time to see the hunter raise his scythe high.

"NO!" She screamed out in protest. However… it was too late.

Before she knew it, seven men had lost their lives without having even known it was coming.

And worst of all… it was completely her fault.

"Come on!" Syaoran shouted to the frozen Sakura.

When she didn't budge, he grabbed her this time, and they took to running again… but it was just too much.

"Wait!" Sakura pulled away. "I can't just sacrifice them… I'm sorry… but I can't." She took a deep breath, knowing that she was about to put both of them at risk once more.

"TIME!"

* * *

Back in the boxes, for the man who had hoped for retribution, there was naught but despair. 

At one moment, he had thought this it. The frail and her boy were out numbered… the man with the hood was out numbered… everything was to his favor. He knew it would be ok… he just knew it. Out of all the fighters in the gang, he was one of the weakest. Though he wasn't able, surely, one of his own.

Or so he had thought.

But in the moment that followed his words, his world turned upside down… and without explanation, both the frail and her boy and the hooded figure had advanced dramatically in a way that wasn't physically possible… and seven of his family of gang members had collapsed in bloody halves.

It had to be a joke… it had to.

* * *

_I'm sorry…_ thought Sakura. 

First the dream… and then everything else that followed… it all seemed to get worse.

She felt like a snowball. One that starts a rolling journey on the highest mountain side, and then builds perpetually, gaining confidence and strength before reaching a point of no return. Then, there's the infinitely long hang in midair as the ball rolls itself off a cliff. The point of freefall. And before the snowball knows it, it finds itself bobbing indefinitely within the raging torrents of the coldest mountain river. And for all its vaunted strength and power, it would slowly saturate with water, before breaking apart completely… and fading away.

Sakura felt now as though it was her in that water… and she was merely delaying the inevitable.

* * *

The air tonight was thick… and now, no longer with just the remnants of the storm… now, the air was thick with blood. 

Since the first seven, four more had met their end at the murderous scythe.

With a mentality not unlike the fictional perspective of lemmings advancing to their deaths, the gang seemed no different.

With nothing but knives, and the occasional chain, or makeshift weapon, they attempted to kill the un-killable.

Despite their best efforts… it seemed that their only fate rested in their deaths. A conclusion not lost on Sakura.

* * *

The scene was horrible. 

She couldn't stand it when everyone was unmoving… and now, instead of run, they had chosen to die.

She couldn't bear it any longer, and asked Syaoran to get her out of there. In which he promptly agreed.

The last thing she saw as she left the budding massacre behind her was the tousling shadowed forms and the blood on the walls.

But nothing was worse than the last she heard…

* * *

Decimated… the entire gang… decimated. 

Was he really the last one?

He had since pulled himself from the boxes during the heat of the… well, it was too horrible for earthly words.

He saw so many deaths… so many… and in so many different ways.

He's sure he saw it all… from people who fell apart, to people whose chest or head would explode… horrible slashes… and more.

And only one terrible thought resounded in his head. What way would he die?

Frantic not to let that happen, he had escaped. He chose a direction other from the one the couple had taken, in hopes that the figure might follow them instead… sparing himself.

It was a foolish hope.

He started as he saw something jump behind him. Quickly, he turned to flee and twisted his ankle. As he held it in pain, he could only think that this was it. Unable to face this fate, he closed his eyes… and waited.

When minutes passed, he opened his eyes slowly and glanced up, cursing.

There on the wall behind him was his shadow, immensely huge from the way the light caught him.

Like an idiot, he had seen it and panicked. What a moron. In nervous relief, he started to laugh at his own stupidity. But that didn't matter… he had done it!

Despite the odds… despite the unlucky brushings with death, he had survived. What was a twisted ankle anyways? He'd survive.

* * *

Sakura struggled to her apartment door, with Syaoran in tow. 

After everything she had gone through tonight, it was a wonder… a miracle… that she had actually come home. But… it was a freedom that had come with a heavy cost.

She closed her eyes warily, but they quickly sprung open. It was too horrible to close them… as when she did, the images would stain her vision red.

She shook her head, further undoing her already collapsing braid-job. With a renewed determination, she unlocked the door and pushed it open. Then, she helped her injured and exhausted companion through the door, before locking it behind them.

Just before her knees gave way and she collapsed against the door, she wondered if their presence had gone undetected…

* * *

With solemn faces, Touya and the rest sat around the living room looking glum. And each was doing his or her own thing. 

Kero remained passed out on the now vacant couch, as the still weary Nakuru slept only from shear exhaustion and from the lack of her powers in a now dreamless state.

Spinel… despite claiming that he had rested enough the day in the crate, was now propped against the mouse of the computer and muttering in his sleep.

Touya was looking intensely at his own hand as he opened and closed it. He was still gloomy from earlier, when in a desperate state of mind, had attempted to search for Sakura on his own, but was stopped by the others and mainly Yukito, who had since passed out from the effort.

Touya hated himself… Sakura was out there enduring who knew what…

It wasn't fair… it-

Something sounded down stairs. And a heavy bump followed the first noise.

Quickly, he roused Yukito, and rushed down the stairs.

* * *

Meanwhile, a familiar figure had finally rested his ankle long enough to attempt a stand. 

Groaning, and grimacing, he stood… careful not to apply too much pressure to his swollen ankle.

Then with the utmost care, he hobbled away gingerly.

Behind him, a shadowed form that was not his own, began to follow him.

* * *

A loud banging noise sounded in her ears just as she looked up to see her brother running down the stairs at her. 

She wanted to smile, she did… but nothing seemed to respond, and her look remained quite distant and detached.

And even as her Touya stooped to hug her fiercely, she wondered if he knew that she even cared… because she really did.

But she couldn't talk… and what troubled her other than the events of tonight, were his injuries… and the fact that she couldn't seem to convey that fact.

Then, to her great relief, Yukito had him and both he and Touya escorted them up the stairs.

* * *

A moment later, she was brought into the living room, and at once, among the happy faces that belonged to the various family members who were unfortunate enough to open their eyes, were the relieved statements first… and then they passed straight into the questions. 

It was too much for her to handle. And most of all… it was confusing since they seemed prepped on the information before she could mention it.

She closed her eyes to hopefully shut it out… but then she only saw the lifeless faces… the blood on the walls… the death.

Then if on command… Kero kicked loose the TV remote underneath the couch pillow, and the TV switched on.

Sakura opened her eyes just at that same moment, and found the visions behind her eyes staring back at her in real time. She could do nothing but stare on.

"-attacks on Tokyo police officers. One of which had been believed to have been caught in the blast himself."

The room got quiet as all voices stopped and all eyes focused on the screen.

In it, firefighters milled around a burned out carcass of a squad car. A crowd of people had gathered, and the camera man did his best to keep the feed clean, but portions of the blood covered surfaces shown through.

One body bag rested on a gurney near an ambulance.

Sakura could do nothing more than stare blankly as the image on the screen switched to an abandoned taxi cab on the side of a street. She shuddered when she recognized it.

"-Meanwhile," the reporter continued, "The driver of the vehicle behind me, whose name has not been determined yet, was found death several blocks from his abandoned vehicle, and over twenty blocks from the horrifying images we have just seen from the police murders. Furthermore…"

* * *

While the television continued to ramble on in Sakura's living room, another survivor of the night's events had become enraged by the fact that now that everyone he knew in his social group was dead; he'd have to do it all on a bum ankle… which meant that he would not eat for many days. 

In a sudden tizzy, he began throwing whatever he could find against the walls of alleys he was not used to, and screaming obscenities into the wind for whoever would hear them. After all, it didn't matter to him… nothing did.

It was only at the sound of a scared cat, did he even think to look around.

* * *

The images on the television were almost as real as when she had seen them herself. Though it wasn't until the gang massacre that she lost her nerve. 

Distraught, she ran from the room and didn't stop until sleep had slammed her room door behind her, and collapsed down on her knees in the middle of the floor, clutching herself.

In a frantic mood to just have the memories stripped away, she began to tear at her clothing.

In the process, she threw aside her sweatshirt, pulled away her socks, removed her shirt and shook her hair about until it cascaded about her now bare shoulders, and with a subdued act, collapsed into her face. All that remained of her attire was that of her pants and her undergarments… which helped let the warmth once again seep into her flesh.

It wasn't until she had scratched herself that she realized that her specialized card strap was the only thing left on her arm. With a haphazard toss she flung in back on her desk and before she knew it, toppled her radio which hit the floor and switched on.

"-still don't know but the rumors continue to pour in. It is advised however, that you do not risk traveling outside and stay indoors. While the storm is over… it seems that new developments are brewing…"

Sakura moaned discouragingly.

Then there was a knock at her door.

"Sakura… are you alright? What happened out there tonight?"

She screwed her eyes closed and tried to fight back both the images, and the verbal noise.

It was not a great success on either side.

* * *

With a desperate cry, the punk tried to run from the shadow but to no avail. It didn't seem to matter how far he dare run… the shadow was already there… it was always there. 

Just then, he took a cruel turn and slid out and landed once again, hard.

And as he struggled to his feet, his voice left him… and all his pride.

With nothing else do, he staggered back toward the alley wall, and awaited his fate.

* * *

"Sakura? Are you ok? Could you open please?" 

Sakura swallowed her tears. She could not deal with this any longer… the pain was too strong… and she couldn't relive it again this soon. So she did the only thing that made sense.

"Silent…" Sakura begged to the card. "Please keep my room and the area outside it, a haven safe from sound."

And just as she finished, both the radio and her brother rematerialized in the living room on the couch, catching an annoyed look from Kero.

* * *

There was a soft noise of rushing air, and then something wet and sticky splattered against the bricks behind a now very lifeless body as it crashed to the ground. 

Without further purpose, the shadow slowly disappeared. With the only eyes upon its departing sweeps, were the eyes of a man whose light was already extinguished.

* * *

Sakura gave up. It was pointless anyway. 

She could not think… though thinking at this point was the least of her worries…

She could not sleep, as just closing her reminded her of her memories of the night, which were too severe… much too severe.

And even if she were to put it from her mind a moment, the TV had reminded her… or the radio. There was no escaping it.

She shuddered at her last thought of that night, and in that thought she knew. That the crimson shadow had fallen… and regardless of the future, Tokyo would never be the same.

* * *

While at that moment a far distance from where Sakura resided, a single mark of blood, hung over its former owner like that of a shadow.

* * *

A/C: (the 'C' stands for comment... makes a bit more sense) 

Well then... I must apologise for the extremely long delay, but with vacations and a new Potter book to read... I daresay that writing was a bit difficult to do this time around... and I thought that since I had given a preview of the next chapter that I stick with it... but wouldn't you know it? "One" chapter is roughly equivalent to five...

Well, send me some reviews just so I know that there are still some interested people out there... and then hopefully I can crank out the small ones faster and more often.


	18. Prodigy

Chapter 18: ** Prodigy**

Sakura awoke as a light streamed in through her windows.

Acting on instinct, she raised her arm to block the vividness of the light that had sought her eyes in such a distinctly cruel fashion. She groaned as she attempted to roll over and block the un-welcomed invader. When that didn't seem effective, she reached behind her in hopes of using one of her pillows… but only grabbed empty air.

She frowned. Usually it was an easy thing to find her pillows. There were plenty on her bed-

Her bed wasn't very soft… and she felt rather flat.

Then it dawned on her at last. She had no memory of ever making it to bed at all… let alone falling asleep. How or when she had, escaped her completely.

Without a real clear understanding for why she was doing it, she sat up. As she did, her great mass of hair swept forward and fell over her shoulder, while she supported her position with one hand while the other pulled the blanket from her bed and held it to her chest.

She took a few steadying breaths as the memories returned. But when she closed her eyes, she found that the images that had haunted her vision were gone… cleared. It was almost as if a great wave of insensitivity had claimed her during the night. Even so, the fear remained as she thought of the dream. The finishing thought still clung to her heart; these people could kill her.

She shook her head. Now wasn't the time to think of such things.

Glancing up to her desk, one of her cards was standing upright on its corner. Silent. It must have allowed her peace the entire night.

Mentally, she reached out and thanked the card. As if having understood the wordless appreciation, it sank back to the desk and slid back into the book. Sakura did not blink.

She did, however, get up, and cross the room.

After everything going wrong in her life, she thought she'd at least indulge herself in an un-interrupted hot bath. She deserved a little comfort even in spite of devastation.

At least she thought so.

* * *

What must have been an hour or so later, Sakura opened the bathroom door and strolled out into her room with a look of rejuvenated satisfaction. Life was good… there was such the proof of it. 

Though… it wasn't all fun and games… there was much at stake.

She sighed. It was unfortunate that such dark thoughts had encroached upon her momentary happiness. But that was the reality of her situation… running from a problem wasn't her strength… and it wasn't her either.

Her smile had faltered and then progressively faded away as she picked up a picture that rested on her bookshelf. It was one that Tomoyo had taken back when Sakura had just recovered from her previous life crisis. She had been still recovering and was strictly restricted from leaving her bed, and such was she couldn't leave… not even to see her friends.

However, out of sheer generosity, the old gang came together once again; Syaoran, Kero, Eriol, Nakuru, Spinel, Tomoyo (who never really ever left her side for long), and herself. Everyone had gathered around her bed for a group photo. Kero, the ham he was, was up front showing off, Spinel was grudgingly next to him. Nakuru had her arm around Sakura's shoulder who had managed to prop herself up for the picture, Nakuru was smiling enthusiastically and holding her hand to the camera, displaying the classic 'V'. Syaoran was indifferent, especially towards Eriol, who had positioned himself opposite of Nakuru on Sakura's other side. Tomoyo, of course, was the one who took the picture.

Sakura ran her thumb over the glass above Eriol. Was he really gone? She repressed a tear. Was it her fault? If only she could have been there to help… then maybe he'd still be alive today.

One already was too much… too much. If she were to go as well, she'd make damn sure to take however many of them with her as possible.

With new found determination, she replaced the picture frame and adjusted her towel as she went to her drawer. Her face grew stern as she set aside some clothes.

There was work to be done.

* * *

Sakura emerged later and proceeded to trek into the living room, where as she guessed, people would assemble once they got moving. She wasn't surprised in the least to find them already in deeply serious discussions. Then, as if on cue, her brother was the first to look up. 

"Sakura," he started, in a tone of voice that neither demanded something, nor commanded her. "I'm not entirely sure if you were able, based on the state we saw you in last night, to get any rest. But were you?" She looked surprised but nodded. "That's good. Because from this point on… it sounds like you'll need every bit of it."

Sakura was momentarily confused by his leniency, and was about to comment upon it, when she realized that he seemed to already have all the details on the events of last night, and not just from the meaningless scattered images on last night's news. And she would have said something anyways, if she hadn't realized that there was someone on the couch who had the attention of the entire group. Though she wasn't entirely sure until her brother shifted his position.

"Syaoran…"

Everyone including Syaoran looks up briefly to his name, but she quickly waves it off, and the attention shifts back to what they were discussing previously.

As she recovered from the slight embarrassment of calling too much attention to herself out of place, she realized to her own fault that she had completely forgotten about him last night. Then, as her thoughts went back to the entrance, she remembered herself being led by her brother, and she had the faint recollection of Syaoran being escorted up the stairs by Yukito. After that, and her exhaustion, he seemingly vanished afterwards.

To her utter foolishness, she had completely forgotten about the wounds he had suffered, and only remembered due to his heavily bandaged arm and head. At this, his disappearance was explained in full; after all, she knew it couldn't have been helped.

With this development, she was even more thankful of her support group. Everything would be pointless without them…

"-so that's what happened. After that, we managed to drag ourselves back here."

Sakura blinked. Her face flushed slightly as she realized that she had completely zoned out to her thoughts. It was only by chance that she even caught Syaoran's conclusion of the events of last night. She looked about the room in time to see the various reactions.

To her surprise, everyone had less than what she expected.

Touya simply nodded and closed his eyes, mulling the scenes over. Yukito said nothing, and his face hadn't really changed its thoughtful expression she had noticed before. Kero was more awake today than he was… and was taking it all in with slight nods… almost as though a shadow of her brother. And lastly, Spinel seemed unimpressed, but took the moment's pause to jot down something in the laptop.

"Well," Touya started, while he stared down at the notes he'd been keeping. "From what we know about your encounter, we can determine with little doubt that his magic lies on a freeze/cold basis. Now…" He looked at Syaoran with a questioning face. "Do you remember any other characteristics or abilities that we can discern facts from?"

Sakura dimly noted that he still wouldn't say Syaoran's name… even after all these years. She supposed it was more out of habit than anything more. But such things were really not worth her time… time… _ah!_

"The time card!" Sakura blurted out before he could even speak. "My time card didn't work on him… though it worked on everything else… he seemed immune to it." The last part was said rather quietly as she mentally thought of the overwhelming disadvantage.

"That's right," Syaoran added quickly. "Time didn't work on him… and apparently, he also had the ability to teleport, though I don't really have a reason for this, other than he followed our movements though we were much faster, and then he even showed up in front of us." He clutched his arm as he spoke. His wounds still bothered him. "There's also the other thing…"

The others looked at him again as he trailed off, debating with himself how to tell them the next part.

"While I was fighting, I hit him with a quick scan from my Lasin board… much as I originally detected the Clow cards with Sakura… and detected four distinctly separate magical items I can only guess must be the artifacts the hunters stole. Although…" there was some doubt in his voice as though he might have caught a mistake and wasn't willing to pass it along. "Two of the items were somewhat weaker than the other two, but it seemed as though with just as much power. I'm not sure what that means."

There was a slight moment of silence as the news drifted in, but then there was a quick typing noise and some mouse clicks, and the next thing they heard was the low key voice of Spinel in his usual calm speech.

"Actually," he stated non-excitedly, "there is a very good explanation for such things, and while seriously difficult for us in the short run, may help us out overall with just the knowledge itself." Everyone looked at him in a questioning manner and he was forced to delve into a deeper clarification. He took a deep breath.

"You see… four artifacts of varying power intensity, two seemingly weaker than the others… or two artifacts, and two fragments." He paused slightly to look around, and then continued. "If it is truly four, then we have more to deal with than what we had intended to initially. However… if I'm right in this… and personally, I think I am… then we have only two artifacts of our list in the hunter's possession, and two pieces of two different ones. This means that two of the artifacts are split among the five hunters there are.

"But this isn't bad news… not entirely. Although it is entirely possible to split a magical artifact, it must be done before this item is charged, or the results will be rather devastating. And for it to work correctly, if this is split five ways, then there must remain a piece that is considerably larger than the fragments, that acts like a source, and it must contain the most power. Sources will not rest with anyone but the hunters' leader, so we know where the main power is located. Also…" he smiled at this moment, "it is likely that we can upset the power balance if we are able to secure any of those pieces for ourselves… which would prove extremely difficult based on what we have heard today."

He finished and went back to his files as the information sat with the others. There was little to no open discussion at this point, which was all for the better… considering Spinel had more to say.

"As for artifacts themselves and what we know now…" he let himself have a smug look, "I believe that we can determine at least several of the artifacts' true natures. Here," he swiveled the screen so that everyone could see, including Sakura who had become tired of standing through the explanation, and proceeded to draw up a chart assembly of several pictures and possible descriptions as well as background histories.

"So you don't have to strain yourselves to read all this, I'll give you the overview, which is more important than the pieces leading up to it.

"First artifact…" he enlarged a picture of an old but well-kept stone sundial with odd numbers scrawled into the limestone face. The picture itself gave the item a powerful look. "This is among the last items to be stolen, mostly because it has only recently been discovered in a nameless tomb in the Egyptian desert. With the information that Kinomoto Fujitaka has provided us, we know that it rested on what's known as a 'pedestal of light' in the center of the chamber. This pedestal was simply a raised stone platform that had a single beam of light from the outside shine through the top of the chamber, and onto the sundial itself. It was believed that the sundial would let the spirit of the chamber know when it was time for noon feast and the like… also-"

He looked around at the blank faces around him and abruptly switched subjects.

"-Anyhow… that's not really that important. What is important is the fact that the chamber was sealed beneath the sand for so long that the sundial lost its means to recharge itself when the sun, its charger, was blocked. So basically, as a near powerless disc, it could have easily been separated numerous times over without the consequences… thus proving the theory, and that that is the correct ability of this artifact."

He went back to the laptop's keyboard and proceeded to punch more keys. No one really said anything, as they were all still trying to process the information. However, they weren't given much time to think, for another image was enlarged.

Spinel took a few seconds to mentally prepare for his delivery, and then went into the next description.

"Here," he pointed to an image depicting an incomplete skeleton, "are the bones of a man known to only a select few as the Carpathian Mountain Sorcerer. Details here are less known, but as listed among the details in its London exhibit, he was a lone mountain recluse. Beyond just that, locals of the area feared venturing into the mountains because of the thought that he practiced dark magic. A magic that was cold."

He let the words settle before continuing.

"So it leaves little doubt that he imprinted his powers into something that couldn't be separated from him. His very bones… which increases the irony when he met his death by decapitation… as his skull was never found, though his bones were left resting in his home.

"However… though this leaves little doubt that the hunter was achieving cold abilities through the bones, there is still the manner of how.

"How did the hunter utilize their power when the bones are no doubt shielded with a safeguard or the like? For that… it seems that they could only be used in conjunction with his next item."

In the pause, he enlarged the next picture, which revealed itself as the red-brown fiber suit that the bones were affixed to. He pointed at the picture and continued.

"This… was stolen from Istanbul. Though I can't tell you what it does, it definitely is extremely significant to the bones. What I may guess… is that it neutralizes the intense cold generated by the bones and their magic, otherwise he would have frozen to death by now. Though it could be that those are just because of his natural abilities… but those natural may be what holds the bones secure in the first place… but that I can't tell you." He looked slightly dejected. "I also can't explain the teleportation. It's just beyond what I know at this moment."

He sighed and closed the laptop before he sat down. He was quiet just a moment before asking to his audience, "Well… are there any questions?"

Sakura thought she heard Touya start to ask something, but at this point, her head was far too tired to listen in at the moment. Instead, she moved from where she had been standing through the explanation and sat down in front of the television. Feeling a need for a slight break from the intellectual side of things, she figured a little mindless TV might be all that she need.

With that thought in mind, she picked up the remote. What channel she watched didn't matter much to her at this time… she'd just watch whatever was on. With a sigh, she turned in on.

The screen flickered to life and an image of a woman reporter in front of a scene that at the moment was blocked by a number of police and medical personnel. The wind was ripping at her clothes and her hair whipped violently as she held one hand to her headset and the other hand clutched the opening of her jacket in an attempt to keep in at bay. The scene echoed painfully in similarity of the events of last night's reports, and Sakura felt a pained feeling in her chest. With trembling fingers, she took the mute off.

"-the horrible reality that this is real. We remind you that we are here now to report to you what could probably be what officials have guessed to be the largest recorded gang war in the greater area of Tokyo's history. This is unconfirmed, but the loss of life is staggering."

The activity behind her briefly parted and Sakura caught a glimpse of body bags being hauled into waiting Ambulances. She felt sick. A four by five sector grid map of Tokyo flashed up at the corner of the screen and number of red dots were scattered over it. The reporter continued.

"In the corner map, the red dots indicate areas where the killings occurred. The dot closest to our present location is among the many storehouses that line this section of Tokyo Bay, just beyond Expressway 1 Uenosen, roughly five blocks from the killings in and around Shiba Park. Tokyo Tower, adjacent to the park, has been closed as a result. We'd also like to advise people to avoid these areas indicated and to remind many, that officials are planning to impose a curfew, for your safety. Furthermore-"

Sakura felt an arm around her shoulder and turned to see Syaoran ease himself down beside her. She felt grateful, but cast a look back to her brother who would normally not approve. Thankfully, he was too busy listening to the report to say anything at all. With that fear put to rest, she took a moment to search the eyes of the person next to her, who smiled and pulled her forward so that her head rested against his chest. Though she didn't see it in his expression… it was likely that he already knew of her dream from the others.

She was glad that he hid things well.

She looked up to the television to see the reporter pressing her headset closer to her ear as though trying to hear something above the wind. Her eyes were no longer focused on the camera, and she seemed to be concentrating hard on what she was being told.

A couple of seconds later, she looked up.

"It seems that officials have all but confirmed this to be the work of new gang movements. Though their methods of killing are brutal, they've signed their work in what looks to be a group name… as nothing else seems to bear reason."

The camera shifted its view and the camera man apparently began to move past the officers to get a view of a wall that was almost completely normal if it weren't for one word slopped on with what looked to be the blood of the victims. One word: Prodigy.

"This word you see behind me," the reporter continued, "is the English word, prodigy, which means genius or sensation. Apparently, the police, and we ourselves, believe that this gang boast their works and oppression, and believe themselves to be above the standards of others gangs. This edge and mindset attribute to the name. More so-"

Touya muted the television, and the reporter continued to ramble about as she went.

He stood and threw the remote back on the couch. Yukito stood beside him and bore a look that was very grave.

"Ha… gangs…" Touya said through a smirk. "As if gangs could ever be so mobilized." He looked down at Sakura, and as their eyes met, brother and sister shared a silent exchange. One they verbalized for the others. "Not gangs… but-"

"-hunters." Sakura finished in a toneless voice. Her fear that threatened to well up a moment before had suddenly vanished. It was as if she had just received an emotional make-over… just in that brief exchange. It was hard to describe the feeling.

Then, as she attempted to put the pieces together, a moment of confusion fell over her.

"But if it was… what are they doing?" She got to her feet just after squeezing Syaoran's shoulder. "Why kill so many others?" she paused a moment to stretch and then resumed her thoughts, "wouldn't such a thing attract too much attention to themselves? After all…" she narrowed her eyes, "wouldn't a silent approach be more intimidating?"

Syaoran ran his hand over his arm in thought, but didn't say anything. Instead, it was Kero's voice that answered.

"Not necessarily… it could also be a display of power… power that creates fear. After all, evaluated on the perspective of a game animal that is abundant in numbers… say, a white tail deer… I'm sure that on opening day in season, it is very intimidating to the deer still alive when the see evidence all around them of others not so fortunate. At least… never knowing when the next shot comes, when you'll be next." He sat down on the corner of the couch. "To me, that would be very unsettling."

'That," came the quiet voice of a still thinking Syaoran, "and the fact that we already know that at least one of them is here. Might give them a chance to settle in and set up the perfect arena… one that they control, and will give them absolute free roam. After all…" his voice grew soft, "if not for those sacrificed last night, it is more than possible that we would have succumbed to the same fate."

There seemed to be a collective air of silence as all considered the same outcome. Just that in itself was unsettling enough.

"Still," started Sakura with an equally quiet voice, "what do they mean by the word?"

Kero looked up. "Word?"

"Prodigy." She said flatly. "I mean… what's the point? Is it just to delude and confuse people?"

She looked at her brother, who simply shook his head. Yukito didn't look as though he knew, and his other side wasn't offering anything either. Spinel who had been so up-to-date on everything through and through, now lay passed out on the edge of the couch. Without sleeping since his arrival the other day, she wasn't surprised. It was only Kero who seemed to have anything left.

"Maybe it is just a ruse… something to confuse the public. After all," stated Kero emphatically, "I don't see much of a point… or is there something I'm missing?"

He asked the question rhetorically, but was just as surprised as Sakura when a completely different voice gave an answer in response.

"Actually… there is…"

Sakura pivoted about quickly in response to the female voice that seemed to come surprisingly from Tomoyo's room. A Tomoyo who wasn't set to return for at least another two days.

However, when she caught the figure who spoke, she was at once, pleasantly surprised.

"Akizuki Nakuru?" Sakura exclaimed happily, just before she noticed the state of her friend.

She was looking devastated on a physical level. Her normally rich brown hair hung in strands in her face, which was shadowed with deep emotions. Gone was her hyper-ness and enthusiasm, and she leaned lack-luster against the doorframe. A loose-fitting robe was wrapped about her, and a blanket hung across her shoulders.

Over all, it was quite shocking.

"It's quite possible… that it is… a calling card… or a message, to you." Nakuru nodded in confirmation to their confused looks before going on. "There are additional definitions for Prodigy… one such, that they overlooked was 'phenomenon'. Though you are not aware of it, E… Eriol told us that Clow often thought that you, Sakura, were one such of the world's few phenomena… as you have since proved it with all your hard work over these years."

Sakura was taken aback. "Me? Phenomenon… and a message… how, in what way? I mean, what's the point?"

"Simple…" stated Nakuru. "To call you out." She came into the living room and sat down wearily against the wall. "And," she hesitated for effect, "to tell you that if you don't hurry to face them, more will die. It isn't about intimidation anymore; on our front… it's more like a declaration of war… even though to them it's simply cat and mouse."

She started to laugh slightly and her body shook from the emotions raging within her. When next she spoke, her voice was laced heavily with regret and anguish.

"I… I wish I could help you… but," she held a shaking hand in front of her face, "I don't know if I can help myself… anymore."

She clenched her still shaking hand in a tight fist, and braced her wrist with the other hand as tears eased down her face.

Sakura was certain that her own heart had, if it hadn't already, broken at the sight. It was too terrible to see, her broken and crestfallen friend, as she withered in spirit seemingly just before her eyes, despite the fact that physically speaking, she hadn't changed. The situation struck her deep, and in that moment, she had made up her mind.

Without a doubt, she was taking this fight to them… before the killings shift to someone more innocent.

"Everyone…" said Sakura with a steely look, "Tonight we re-establish the true ownership of Tokyo..." She sucked in her breath and stood tall, just a head shorter than her brother beside her. He looked into her eyes and nodded, coaxing her to finish. "As ours."

"Well… let's get to work. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my room."

* * *

Sakura yawned. It was getting closer to the time to go… but she wasn't completely ready as yet. After all, there was still more that needed to be done. 

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. With the extra effort, she went to get it, but not before tucking something into a box on her desk top. And as she went to the pre-excursion afternoon meal the box lid creaked open slightly, and a gleam of something golden metallic caught the light.

As for the VTRM (Video Telephone Recording Monitor), it was still silent and inactive.

* * *

"Well then…" Sakura said before securing the last loose strands of her black and gray-banded outfit. "There's one last thing to do then…" She looked around the walls of all the rooms of the apartment she could see, then took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 

At once, a giant magical emblem expanded from her feet, and the energy cascaded over everything that was the apartment, and consumed it and the people in the room. A moment later, as people began to reappear, Sakura relaxed her mind. It was done.

"Ah… with this…" she said in a relaxed voice, "we will be safe from any attacks as long as we remain here… with this powerful repelling spell."

"What is it exactly?" Touya asked.

Sakura smiled. "A little touch I learned from the Sumerians. My studies are useful sometimes…" Her smile fell slightly, and then she looked out a window to the city in the distance. "Well… I guess…"

"…It's time." Said Syaoran finishing the statement.

Sakura smiled and nodded in his direction. She would have been happy to see him once again in his ceremonial robes… though with this daylight to dusk outing, his older look would be more suited to the common street clothes he was currently wearing, but the robes still… they were far more impressive.

She sighed. Maybe later.

Right then. It was definitely time. She, Syaoran, Kero, Spinel, Touya, and Yukito… and regrettably, leaving Nakuru behind, as she wouldn't be able to help even if she wanted to.

With that, they proceeded to leave. Their destinations… somewhere in the heart of it all.

And in Sakura's bedroom, a single red light started to flash on the VTRM, and a single message flashed up on the LCD screen:

'I'm coming home.'

* * *

A/C: I apologize if this one is too boring for all you action fans... but this is just another step in the right direction. 

Anyways, thanks for the inspiring comments. They are always appreciated. And if anyone's interested, I've jotted down a few things in my profile finally... more will come later. Probably...


	19. Territory

Chapter 19: **Territory**

In the waning levels of the afternoon light, just two hours before dusk fell, there was already a profound and unsettling atmosphere in Tokyo. Mothers were quick to usher children into buildings, and even teens with their acts straight were getting off the street. Traffic was generally reduced and the wail of sirens that had typically blended into everyday life, were a troubling reminder and a possible harbinger to greater tidings of horror. What with the police bulletins and news reports, it was little wonder.

Ever since just after Sakura's return to the house, it seemed as though news of killings had been wide spread and thoroughly propagated, accompanied with advisories and precautionary statements. And now, a new police statement was echoing through the emptying streets via every communication option available. Something about a curfew and increased nightly patrols… but Sakura didn't really catch it all… she knew the gist of what they were saying… but not everything. More or less, they were locking down the city.

That fact made her frown. While she felt happy for the curfew, people, specifically the police, would still be involved. And that just wasn't good.

Sakura's eyes quickly swept over the map in her hands. On it, she set her finger at their current location and traced it to various parts of the part where she had indicated the sites of last night's killings. Perhaps by studying the area a little more would give them a definite starting location. Otherwise… they were just stabbing in the dark.

After a few more moments and looked over at the others, who were milling about, attempting to stay out of sight as much as possible, but staying on the alert as well. When her eyes caught those of her brother and Syaoran, she nodded. And with just that simple gesture, they were on the move once more.

Several times during their trek they had to avoid the increasing patrols of the city, but that much was expected, and also a bit calming. After all, if they were still patrolling, it meant nothing serious had happened. But as she scanned the skies above them, she knew it wouldn't be long. Twilight was merely an hour away… and night would fall soon after.

However, that didn't matter now… for they had arrived at their first destination.

Sakura felt her throat dry, and she swallowed. It was much better now… with at least a little light on it… but just the sight of it gave her chills. With all the accompanying police tape and barriers, it was just that more unsettling.

* * *

Syaoran saw Sakura stop and he had to suppress the instinctive urge to grab his sword that was momentarily tethered to his back. Instead, he pushed past her just incase there was something else there. When nothing seemed amiss, he walked further into the recess of darkness. Though it was definitely clear that there had been magic used within the general vicinity… it was skillfully covered, and almost completely undetectable. 

He frowned.

* * *

Sakura walked over to where Syaoran was. She saw him frowning and could only guess why… but to her, she seemed to want to frown because the site was somewhat different than the images on the news. Somewhat cleaner… covered. 

She put her hand to a wall and ran her fingers across it, absently.

So much had happened around the city… not just when she and Syaoran had been running, but while she slept. She felt guilty in a way… but knew it was the better scenario. There was no telling who would suffer if she were to simply give in…

She stopped the thought abruptly as her fingers had traced over a texture quite different from the wall she had felt just moments before. She thought she knew instantly… but hoped she was mistaken. She wasn't. Her eyes confirmed the truth the instant she looked up.

Blood.

Sakura suffered a momentary sense of disgust and looked quickly to her fingertips expecting to be revolted. But as she looked, there was nothing but powdered residue. This was old blood. Dried.

Without looking towards the others, she backed away further and took it in. This was… because of her… if only she hadn't stayed in Tokyo.

She shook her head in an attempt to clear such thoughts. She still had the advantage just because of stuff like this. Unable to focus on the smear longer, she looked away. And to her slight surprise, the others weren't even looking at her. They were looking down the length of the alley. So naturally, she did to.

The alley was like that of a slaughter house. Red streaks danced well with their familiars in a frozen ballet of past gore. From the fire escapes that weren't broken or torn, were echoing crimson stains on the metal's face. All across the floor were the chalk outlines of the bodies or their individual pieces in a cruel kaleidoscopic display of the red and white pattern. Above it all, was the English word that was supposedly her… a prodigy. What's more, a closer look at the white on red, almost looked like the character for 'shi'… or death.

At a tap on her shoulder, she turned. It was Kero.

"Come on, Sakura… there's nothing but pain here. And that's not likely to help you out." He said with a consoling tone. "We've already checked around," he pointed at the others in the background, who surprisingly looked rather emotionless… only Syaoran was different. He kept his jaw closed and his fist clenched. He no doubt thought of the emotional burden on her.

"So let's move on."

Sakura acknowledged her brother's statement and she gave the blood-yard one last look before turning her back on it for good.

After all… it was time for their next stop.

* * *

With only thirty minutes to dusk, Syaoran felt impatient that they hadn't made much progress. After the alleyway they stopped at two other sites and found only more of the same. It was getting pointless… and what if they did find them? He wasn't ready last night… with only a handful of others; would it make that much of a difference? 

He clutched his bandaged arm and sighed. He had been too sloppy. He couldn't even protect Sakura when she needed it. How could he possibly later?

At that thought, he looked back to his girl, who bore a rather grim expression. He had to admit to himself, that with her taking this to be her fault, she was doing rather well… but there was no telling how she'd get if it happened to people she liked. Sooner or later, the stress of it all could break her… no matter how strong one's heart.

He'd have to watch her closely from here on out…

* * *

Sakura was starting to get bogged down. 

Though when she caught Syaoran looking at her, she managed to force a less-than real smile and left it at that. When he looked away, she regained her sultry expression. It was more the fact that it was getting to her than the fact of all the death… but still… she wasn't sure about much of anything lately. It was just that confusing…

"Got a moment?"

Sakura started at the voice. Not many voices were able to disrupt her thoughts… but with him, it always seemed that her thoughts derailed completely. And as she thought of that, she smiled. As did Yukito.

"Always…" replied Sakura in a sincere voice.

Yukito kept smiling as he walked beside her. He was usually good at avoiding the main topic at hand, but tonight she felt it like a knife tip. There just wasn't time to be soft spoken.

"I know you well now Sakura… and I know that it's not as much as what you see here, as it is what you don't see."

She nodded.

"I know as well as you do that you are influenced by your dreams, as we are… and now, you just feel for those who didn't see today because every time you look, you see yourself instead."

She nodded again.

They stopped and he put his hand on her shoulder, just before smiling kindly.

"So make it through each day as you would if you never saw it, and hopefully, with the right mindset, you'll always see tomorrow."

Sakura felt her troubles melt slightly. "I hope so." _Whatever it may bring…_

She hung her head slightly and tried to push it aside… but even that wasn't something that could just slide away.

"Anyways Yukito… I-"

"Shhh!"

Sakura stopped abruptly as Syaoran went on full alert. Or what looked like it at least.

"Syaoran… what-"

Syaoran held his hand out and she went silent again. This time, she heard what he did. Sirens… and a lot of them, at least ten blocks ahead.

Without saying anything else, they all started hurriedly in the general direction. With each of them getting increasingly worried with every passing moment, they quickened their speed fearing it to be the hunters on the move early. Though a matter of moments later, they could see clearly, that it was something else entirely.

* * *

Upon their arrival, it appears they have missed all but the end of a small standoff of violence between what looked to be a handful of gang members and the few police already assembled. According to the news briefing of earlier, it put those few in very bad standing with any and all law enforcement. After all… with the city under what it thought to be a large and violent gang movement, it was only in the city's best interest to round up every potential suspect they could. 

Unfortunately for those of the gang, the police were taking no chances. From just a glance, Sakura could see the frustration of both sides… as well as the physical damage.

She watched with interest at the interaction between the two, the way the struggle continued despite the fact that the three gang members were already cuffed and in the process of being escorted away. She was particularly interested in the set closest to herself, as they approached a patrol car. Then, she even groaned out of sympathetic pain as the officer slammed his captive's head against the trunk door.

He howled with fury and rage as he quickly launched into a seemingly familiar rebuttal.

"Fuck man! Fuck you… fuck all of you! What the fuck is your fucking problem?" He stated in a muffled voice, since his face was still firmly planted against the cool metal. "How many times we need to tell ya? We ain't done nuttin'!"

"And how many times do I need to tell you? Shut your mouth, filth!" Retorted an angry officer, who was bleeding heavily down the side of his face even as he held his captive down. "And I would think that assault with a broken bottle ranks higher up there than any simple misdemeanor!"

"Feh…" cut in a different voice that seemed to be calmer, "I would think self-defense still is a winning cause for an individual in need. And considering that we ourselves were seeking shelter tonight, it would be a simple assumption to the observer that we wanted no part in these gang wars… or whatever they are." He smiled, despite having his own arms cuffed behind his back, and the stares of several angry officers. "Or is it all a police set up? Which would be perfect for you g-"

There was a sharp jab to his gut, and in the next moment he was down on the ground, gasping for breath. A viscous gleam in the eyes of a different officer holding his baton. "That's enough of that." he stated in a cold voice. "No more of that… trying to blame this foul act on others is simply a sign of weakness… and you were trying to seek shelter? If that were the case, you and your friends here would have been smarter if you hadn't come out at all!"

The one on the ground said nothing immediately, as every wheeze simply brought more blood to his lips. However, when he recovered enough, his wheezing was replaced with a contrasting laugh that started small, and gradually grew in size until he could speak again. Though this caused the officer's expression to fall slightly, it was more obvious to Sakura that he was laughing at himself.

"Heh… heh… ah…" He swallowed and took a steadying breath. "You're right… it was poor judgment that brought us out tonight… but it was as much for our safety than staying in. Though… when that choice let go another that was budding madness, we got out. It's against my principles to tell you anything else though." He chuckled a little more then looked up at the officer who had hit him. "However… officer… Make no mistake that I exhibit no weakness in my belief. A conspiracy is a conspiracy after all… and I don't buy the gang war scenario that has fallen in place. It's too organized…"

"I see…" stated the officer. He knelt down so the man could hear him better. "Perhaps we have over-assumed… misstep of judgment and committed an error. Such a thing is possible after all." He paused and looked eye to eye over the two other captured people. "You are certainly well-spoken, and do at least some of you justice. Though… perhaps… perhaps this 'Prodigy' isn't a gang at all… but merely the leader of the gang itself. Someone who possesses the needed mental capacity to understand its actions. And maybe… just maybe… you are he." The officer smiled and stood laughing. "Yeah right. That'd be the day… wouldn't it? We can the guy behind all this and we'd be heroes! But there's just no way you could possibly fit that position and title.

"So then… got anything left to say?"

"Actually…" he rolled over. "I think I do." He struggled with his injury and was straining his face to spit it out. "Your… prodigy… is a myth. I think… or don't… that it is just a figure head… meant… to scare. Don't… be an idiot, and spend your last days… chasing shadows."

The officer looked down at the man and nodded. Then with apparently nothing more to say, turned to walk away. He hadn't taken more than a few steps before swinging around and delivering a sharp kick to the man's ribs, who let out a wordless howl of pain. Confident that he wouldn't be going anywhere, the officer pulled out his radio.

"Yo…" he said into the receiver. "Hello…? Does anyone copy?" He shut it off with vehemence and swore. "Damn!"

With that, he turned to the other officers. "Where the hell is that wagon? I doubt you guys want to hold those creeps individually, and we can't just take them with us… hell! We have work to do!"

"Don't know… last I knew, it was around Shinjuku station… but I thought it'd be here by now."

"It should be…" he sighed and looked at the sky, and then his watch. Next thing Sakura knew, he was looking at them.

"What the hell? God damn it. Just when the hell did we get that here?"

Sakura swallowed as he gestured right at her and scowled. But then she became aware of other movement and murmuring around her. Just like that, it seemed that a crowd had gathered.

She felt a small bit of relief over this fact. One, that she and her group weren't sticking out as being the only ones interested in related topics this late, and two, that there was sure to be some resulting confusion and disorder between both police and spectators… which may allow her to slip in to question the man bound in the street. At least… she could only hope that it worked out that well…

Still swearing, the officer went over to the third officer and helped him restrain his catch by whispering something in the captive's ear. He was also seen raising his police baton into the air when there was a distant cry of sirens that seemed to be growing louder. He smiled and let his hand ease back to his side before turning to face the new arrivals.

A moment later, three more patrol cars pulled up and slowly worked their way through the unsettled crowd.

"Heh… finally."

As the newly arrived officers began working their way out of the cars, he started barking questions and orders.

"You there! Where the hell have you guys been? Don't answer… I don't care." He stated with a renewed edge of violence. The other officers on the scene seemed to take this with a gain of salt. "Since we don't have the wagon…" he trailed off trying to think of what to say. "What patrol are you from?"

"3-c" one of the men replied. He seemed rather tired and like the last thing he wanted to do tonight was talk of his routes.

"Well that's just shit. Nothing ever happens up there. So take these clowns with you to the station."

The three officers nodded, and went to retrieve the gang members when the violent officer grabbed the one man's shoulder.

"Not you… you're going to help me clean up an infestation…"

He led the guy by the arm to the front of the throng of citizens and pushed him towards them.

"Don't you people have TVs? Listen to the radio? Pay attention to police bulletins?" He was asking the questions at a rant, so there was no need for a reply before he started up again. "I guess not. So let me inform you…" He looked at his watch again. "There was a mandatory curfew set in effect tonight, and that was over ten minutes ago. So…" He scanned the blank and unreadable faces, and smiled. "Leave. Get out of here… or I'll arrest you too. For your own protection of course." A few people started to disperse at the back of the crowd, but most seemed either too interested in the events… or just weren't paying attention. This seemed the last straw. "What the hell are you waiting for! MOVE!"

The calmer officer started forward and people took the hint. As he gently waved and pushed people towards their way, Sakura saw her chance. With a quick nod to the others, they hung in the back while she worked her way to the front of the slow but steady stream of departing people.

She figured that if she could just slip past while the angry officer had his back turned, she may be able to sneak to where the sensible gang member lay. She had just started to pass him when he turned back around.

"What the hell is wrong with you people tonight? I said MOVE! That means EVERYBODY! Especially you." He blocked Sakura's way and grabbed her arm. Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Actually," said Sakura calmly. She decided that an interaction at this point might work out after all. "I was about to ask you the same thing. After all… isn't it about time for you to stop chasing shadows?"

If Sakura had secretly hoped to aggravate him, she had succeeded.

"Jesus Christ… you were listening to that bullshit? I'll let you know that I have a little more faith in the analysis of a handful of experts than the ramblings of common street dirt. And I don't expect brats who disregard the laws of their peers to know any better than those who enforce them!"

Sakura felt a twinge of anger in her chest. This guy was impossible. So she decided at that moment, that she might as well put him in his place once and for all.

"Really?" she interjected with criticism. "Then what would you say if I told you that you were an idiot, doing idiotic things, and putting those down with greater mental capacity just so you could feel superior?" She yanked her forearm out of his grip and stepped back. "Besides I'll let you know now that he-" she pointed to the guy on the ground, "-has more of an idea of what's really going on than you ever could hope to understand.

"Oh… and another thing…" she added before he could retort. "I have no use for you… so you are not needed. So in other words… get… out… of… my… way."

She narrowed her eyes and took a definitive stance, determined not to move.

The officer looked infuriated by the venom in her words and his hand moved to his belt, and his fingers twitched just above his baton.

"Oh? So what, you're going to hit me now? Is that it?" Sakura added with extra hostility as she punctuated her words for effect. "Makes you feel like you're in control… like you actually have an idea…"

Sakura let her words trail off just as he started breathing twice as hard. And just from his eyes, she could tell that she pushed him on the verge of criminal intent.

"Little… girl…" he breathed heavily. "Are you sure this is what you want? Because at this point, you've already got it." His hand moved away from his baton and grabbed his extra set of handcuffs, and quickly snapped them shut on her wrists. "You're under arrest… for violating curfew and interfering with criminal investigation."

He started laughing suddenly and then stopped abruptly when she smiled.

Her bangs fell over her eyes and she gave a small laugh before speaking in a devious tone. "If you say so… but just remember, the questions I have for him are of a nature far greater than what you could possibly ever ask. Especially since the one asking would be just that much more competent." She seemed to stifle a yawn and then she noted that he had started to raise a hand to her.

"I… really don't think you want to do that…" she added with a smirk. "Instead, why don't you… _sleep_." She suggested just as he went to slap her.

And at that moment, as he stepped forward, his hand did fall… but to her shoulder, just before the rest of him collapsed against her as he slowly slumped to the street at her feet. She gave a momentary grin and then looked up as the other officers and handful of observers also fell to the ground. Leaving only the man she had intended to question awake.

"_Mist_…" she whispered and held out her cuffed hands in plain view for the man to silently witness the impossible, as the metal on her wrists seemingly dissolved into the air and fell away just as easily.

"Well…" came a voice from behind her. "That was just a bit reckless…" She turned around to see Kero hovering in the air just over her shoulder. "…and a bit scary. It's nice to see you haven't lost your touch."

"It was a masterful job." Agreed Spinel from her other side. Both were still in their disguised forms to conserve energy, and up until just now, allow for hiding.

She looked back at Syaoran, Yukito, and Touya as they stepped over those asleep in the road and to where she was. After several more comments, she was ready to work again.

* * *

The man on the ground had watched it all. He had watched as his friends resisted arrest and were detained… and he watched from his low view-point, as the crowds came, and the officer that had been so cruel had found a new distraction. 

Then he watched as a girl… which had to be no older than twenty… became the next distraction. Watched as she provoked her own arrest… watched as she calmly laughed it off… and watched her kill the officer with ease. And before he knew it, he was the only one not of her friends left alive, and watched as the metal cuffs dissolved away from her wrists at a mere whisper. And then… then he couldn't explain what those were that she was talking to.

None of it made sense.

The only thing now… was that she was staring in his direction.

* * *

"Now then…" said Sakura as she gingerly stepped over the officer at her feet. "Let's get to business." 

She approached the man and knelt at his side. "I hate to do this…" she started in a much softer voice. "But I'd like to ask you some questions about tonight."

"Questions…" repeated the man almost absently. "And then what afterwards? Kill me as well?"

Sakura shook her head. "They aren't dead. Just sleeping. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to kill any of you… but if the threat of death is what it takes…"

"Why not?" He added more to himself than any kind of answer to her. "If death is to come today… it may be more welcome than living in a time when living is an uncertainty."

"That may be true…" she started with a now tranquil voice. "But if I were tell you that the intent to stop these times is what I'm doing now, would you tell me anything?" She held up her hand to stop him, and continued. "I've heard everything you had to say… and you are right. In most cases, you have a much better understanding of the truth. But if I were to tell you the certainty and erase the doubt… then wouldn't your own knowledge be a gift to the greater good?"

"I… I don't think I understand…"

She nodded. "Then let me tell you what we know. In the most simple of fashions.

"You were right. There is no gang war. Such a thing is just speculation. But you are wrong. It isn't a conspiracy by the police… it isn't their doing." She paused a moment to let that sink in. "What it is… is an example… of what's in store for the prodigy. Since the prodigy is the one they're after."

He rolled to his back and looked up into her eyes. "The one… they're after… and who's that?"

Sakura sighed. "I am."

Not surprised at all, the guy nodded. "Sounds about right… it would make sense why you are after information." He cracked a smile. "I suppose it's not just because of your looks?"

She gave him a questioning look and he chuckled.

"That they are after you…"

She let slip a single laugh and then sighed. "If only it were that simple. So will you help us?"

"Yeah… yeah… I guess so." He looked like he was still trying to make up his mind even after having agreed. "So… what do you want to know?"

"Something you said earlier… could you elaborate? What it was about safety that made you come out tonight… and what it was that changed your mind?"

"Oh… that." He started laughing to himself again. "Isn't it funny how things like that work out? You think you have something good… and just as it seems you've found your niche… everything else falls apart." Sakura nodded and he continued. "Well… such is the way things work out I guess."

He gestured with his head towards his sleeping friends. "Those two and I… been friends for ages… they got me to join their gang not long back… and it was just kid's stuff, y'know? But then this whole mess started. I guess that was just last night… but for some reason it seems like weeks ago. Anyhow, policy of safety goes like such: If a meeting is called… you attend and then they know that you are both loyal, and not in another gang, since they hold meetings roughly at the same time. And tonight, had we not attended… they would have thought us as members of a rival gang, and we would be dead already.

"However… they wanted to retake Tokyo in their own way by tackling Tokyo piece by piece… in a fit of rallied stupidity, they trekked off to one of the few places left unscathed…" He coughed a few times and then started again. "In a gut feeling, I knew this to be the end… so I grabbed those two… and we got out of the back. I'm sure that that saved our lives. But it's just a feeling."

Sakura's face fell at this. If what he was saying…

"Hey… where was it that they were going to go?"

"South of here… Shinjuku Station I believe… in their attempt to start with the metro."

Sakura whipped around and looked to the others. Touya nodded. Sakura turned back to the man in front of her.

"Thank you." She breathed. "I hope we make it in time to save at least one…"

"Heh… don't get your hopes up… but good luck."

Sakura caught something and grabbed him by the wrists. "Thanks…" she undid his cuffs with one of the keys the officer had, then handed them to him as Touya helped him up. "To you too."

"Alright everybody…" she turned to only her group, as the released man went to free his friends. "Let's go."

* * *

With everyone off the streets, it took a little over ten minutes to reach the approximate location of their destination. And at the sight that greeted them, Sakura wished they hadn't come at all. 

No matter which way they looked, the remains of what used to be people were strewn every which way across the street and against the bodies. Some of the dead bore a hauntingly familiar style to both Sakura and Syaoran… they had seen people killed this way before. While others still bore completely different injuries… where they were burnt to the core, it was almost as though they were incinerated by an incredibly hot fire.

Sakura stopped at a few of the bodies and bent to examine their injuries, even though the act made her ill. Wounds but no blood… even where there were gaping holes… cauterized…

Though they all felt it, there was just no need to mention how horrible this was. With care and caution, they proceeded forward.

Somewhere under a streetlight in the distance, Sakura thought she saw the ruins of what used to be a police paddy wagon. The entire back of it was ripped asunder and the window shield was stained red with spider-web cracks. There was really no point in investigating further.

All that was really left was to proceed into the station… but waltzing right into such an ominous entranceway and building seemed beyond foolishness. Such a place was the perfect place for a trap… and she just wasn't willing to take the chance.

Without needing to say it if words, she invoked the Fly card and sprouted a beautiful set of white wings from her back. Since she had become more mature, the wings on her back had also changed… and now looked more on par with an angel's.

Because of this act; Kero, Spinel, and Yue all took on their natural forms and stood at the ready. Instinctively, they knew their destination at once… the platform of the station.

The beastly forms of Kerberos and Spinel Sun took point in flight, followed by Yue bearing Touya, and Sakura bearing Syaoran. And in that formation, they landed in the opening of the station's upper deck. It was rather empty, but abnormally dark, despite the fact that the trains were down. With no immediate danger present, the six of them proceeded forward.

Sakura knew that despite the silence… there was someone there. Whatever it was, it was definitely magic in nature, and was in fact, being restricted.

Sweat began to pool on her brow as her nerves had her reacting to anything and everything. Then, other than a rustle of trash or fluttering in the wind, she felt something. Without making a sound, she slowed and caught Syaoran on the sleeve. Somebody was definitely watching them… and it was from just beyond the tracks.

Noiselessly, Syaoran extracted his sword from its sheath and held it with its point to the ground. With that, and a determined look, he set it a blaze… casting rich warm and voluptuous rays of light around the room. And at once… he felt his hatred spike as he unconsciously grabbed his bandaged arm with his free hand.

Just across the way… was the man who had inflicted the damage… and he looked exactly the same as he had last night.

"You!" Syaoran said through clenched teeth. "You… tonight… you will die."

Sakura at his side was slightly pale but nodded in agreement. Last time they had the disadvantage. This time… with all the cards, as well as the extra help… this guy would be the first to defeat.

Suddenly, a medium-low laugh began to echo through the emptiness of the station. The source was completely unknown until the man spoke next.

"Wonderful! Isn't it great to know that some of you are good friends already? Unfortunately…" his voice seemed to drift down from somewhere. "You'll have to put off your plans to kill tonight. Because we'll be working together."

Sakura cast her gaze up higher and found the source of the voice. Up in the support-lattice network for the platform's roof, was a figure that appeared to have a smaller build and a different appearance… but she couldn't be entirely sure because the lighting was off… but that didn't really matter at present.

"I believe introductions can wait. For now, I bid you welcome. To our territory."


	20. Fire & Ice Part I

Chapter 20: **Fire & Ice Part I**

"…our territory."

The haunting tone left hanging on each word gave Sakura a chill that ran deep through each nerve strand to her core. With extra effort, she pushed it aside… but something about the arrival of another hunter had just smashed her hopes of a quick resolution…

"Sucks, doesn't it?"

Sakura who had lowered her gaze briefly, snapped up to his voice.

"I bet you thought… 'Great! With only one we can take him down faster…' but now with this," he pointed to himself with a smug grin of satisfaction, "I guess those plans are kinda shot in the ass." He mock sighed and cocked his head off to the side just before flashing a tormenting smile. "But you know what? Just so you know… that doesn't break my heart any."

Sakura shuddered slightly from his accuracy in guessing her thoughts. A guy like this would prove difficult to deal with directly if he could read her and the group.

"…And just so you know, it's all pretty good between us." He stated with amusement. "I'm only here under orders… and truthfully, I could care less about your life. After all… it was simply enough that I was there to witness the end of Clow's."

Sakura felt her heart spasm as his words reached her ears. Beside her she saw Kerberos, Spinel Sun, and Yue bulk as he made light of it… and in all their eyes was the reflections of Syaoran's fire, as it struggled to shroud the vehemence and anger there. And as he did nothing but laugh, she could not blame them. But she had to steel herself… she had to let them make the first move…

"So… it is because of this that I will only be a good friend, collaborator, colleague… or whatever you want to call it, to my partner… Shi." He let the name hang a moment before continuing. "From what I understand, at least two of you there are good friends with him as well… so I'll mainly just watch his back while you play catch-up. But… if it looks like too much fun, I'll just have to jump in to play."

Sakura heard Kero murmur something just under his breath, and was about to say something when the hunter interrupted her again.

"Oh," he mentioned as though addressing someone familiar. "Before we up and go on this… perhaps some introductions?" He left the question to the air for just a second before he put his hand out towards them. "Wait wait… I got it…" he pulled his hand back and put it beneath his chin a moment before gesturing back to them. "There's no need. I think I've got it right now.

"You guys are the holders of the cards… or at least one of you… and below me is my good buddy Shi, whom some of you know so well… and lastly," he placed his hand against his chest and smiled. "Me. Call me…" he lowered his voice dramatically for emphasis, "Faski."

He shifted slightly as he reached behind him, an action that didn't make the scenario any easier on Sakura.

"While my name has no real meaning, I'll tell you one thing about it…" He pulled out what looked to be a rapidly spinning disc and seemed rather amused by it. "That the 'Fa' is short for 'faia'…" He tentatively held his fingers out as though about to touch an edge. "Which is the only preview you'll get…" he laughed as a light illuminated his face. "Before show time!"

"SAKURA! GET DOWN!"

* * *

Sakura what had just happened… she didn't know why the warning came, nor for what reason she was forced to the ground, nor did she even understand. It wasn't until after an intense heat nearly burned her that she caught on to what was happening. A steady onslaught of fireballs of varying sizes and intensities were pelting the ground all around them. Then she looked up. 

The attack had and continued to come from the very disk of the hunter's. It was rather mesmerizing, and she had to shake herself even as Syaoran pulled her behind one of the pillars of concrete lining the station's platform.

It was only then did her senses come back.

* * *

"Gah…" Sakura let out as she tried to clear her head more. Blasts of heat continued to wrap around the pillar despite the adequate shielding it provided. Sakura kicked herself mentally… though she had been concentrating for anything, the first round went to the hunter, Faski. 

It was no wonder that so many gang members had been taken so easily.

She looked around and noticed that the others had taken cover as well. She felt all the more sorry for who brother, who despite his intensity in want to help her through this, was all together defenseless. And what was more; the light around them was dying fast.

She glanced at Syaoran and then across the way, as his sword's blaze slowly faded. In a moment, it would disappear. No, that wasn't important, without that, Syaoran would be the one without defense. And that, that she just couldn't accept.

With a sharp cry, she dashed out from behind the pillar and towards Syaoran's blade. Such an action didn't go unnoticed by the aggressors.

At once, a hail of fire sped towards her with blinding speed.

"Not this time!" Sakura grinned almost sadistically. "SHIELD!"

The shield materialized just as the fire slammed against it, but did not waver. It was too powerful for such an attack, and Sakura knew it. But she wasn't about to hide. Not this time.

"Tch." Faski uttered. He cast a look down at his partner and smiled. I can see why you were quick to fail all but to get us noticed last night. That much is in your favor. But little girl…" he shot vehemently at Sakura. "Don't try my patience."

"Wouldn't dream of it…" Sakura replied mock innocently. She finally reached the sword with a fabulous round of gymnastics that would make an Olympian proud. "Now then," she started as she grabbed the sword just as the flames went out completely, "Let's pit your fire against mine…" She took a deep breath and flung the sword toward Syaoran just as she yelled out, "Fiery!"

The hunters watched with little change in expression as flames erupted all around her as light once again flooded the room.

Knowing instinctively the will of its master, Fiery set off in a beeline straight for the hunter in the lattice. When it hit, it did so with the impact equivalent with a glob of napalm. Before anyone knew it, the entire lattice was engulfed in flames.

"Now!"

Sakura whipped about to see Touya, who had just shouted out, and the others, whom she had all but forgotten about, rush towards the track edge. It seemed that with one down, they might just have the advantage to take down Shi. One down… one to go.

"Not-so-fast…"

Suddenly, the flames above her seemed to leap down to the tracks and back to the ceiling, blocking their path with a wall of fire spanning several meters. Sakura gaped at an apparently panic stricken Fiery. Fiery was just as uncertain of this new development as Sakura. And it wasn't until Sakura saw him that she knew why.

"Not bad… little girl. But fire is Faski's world." He smiled maliciously as he appeared just beyond Fiery behind an extra-large spinning disk. "So… that means you can't have it!"

Instantaneously, Fiery was torn apart and the fires of the ceiling vanished, but not before leaving the super-heated metal distorting and groaning. It was a situation going from bad to worse.

"I tire of this… didn't I tell you in the beginning?" he said disjointedly. "I'm only here on orders… so I maybe I don't want to play…" he whined. Then without missing a beat, he dropped his voice to a low growl. "So let's change the players. TAG OUT!"

He flipped down to the ground beside Shi and gestured to him, "Their all yours… so make it exciting. Nodding once, Shi exposed a hand, and clenched it to a fist.

In that moment, a sharp chill permeated the air and the fires shrouding their presence dissipated, and with it, the light. And in the resulting darkness, a pitch of protesting metal grieved the night. Seconds later, the entire platform roof began to give way.

As the metal and concrete began to rain down, Sakura had but one thought: Please hold.

* * *

Several blocks to the west, lay one of the many police roadblocks that barred entrance to the city. It was these fringe outposts that were the only real safe areas left in the greater Tokyo area. But just because it was safe, didn't mean that it wasn't privy to the city's calamity. 

That aside, at that exact moment… there were those who had different intentions.

"I'm sorry ma'am… but there's no entry to Tokyo. And that goes for everyone."

"But it's important that we get through. Please officer, we are quite prepared for anything that might come our way. Tougher groups have fallen before us."

"…"

"Will you admit us?"

"No… I'm sorry… but that's final. Now please turn this vehicle around or we'll be forced to place you and your passengers in our protective custody until morning."

"What! You can't seriously be trying to arrest-"

A resounding sound broke them out of their arguments at what sounded like a building collapse.

At this sound, a figure within the vehicle opened their eyes. They had been listening to everything up until now, and had decided that relocation at this point was hopeless… but at the sound still echoing in her ears, her mind was made up.

Without a sound louder than those across the city, she eased the van backdoor open and stepped out into the night. A gentle close all but secured her released, as the sounds in the night faded away. But with the resumed argument now reaching the air once more, with a bit more urgency this time, relief swept her.

Nothing would prevent her now.

"Wait for me… Sakura."

* * *

"Whoooeey!" Faski exclaimed with amusement. "You certainly know how to make a party fun, Shi." 

They both stared forward at the pile of rubble and debris where their prey had been standing just moments before. Small pieces of loose concrete and metal continued to fall periodically. Besides that, there was no movement.

"Hmmmm… what do you think?" Faski prompted.

Shi gave no reply, but moved forward and pulled out the stick that he always carried. He held it in his hands and it became the formidable scythe that had caused so much destruction the night before. With little additional effort he hoisted it above his shoulder and rested it, poised.

"That's about what I expected from you…" Faski sighed. "Fine then… go off and have your fun."

Shi turned slightly and looked towards Faski in the darkness. Even if his face were visible tucked in the darkness of the hood, it wasn't likely to be assumed. The silence following the question remained as he turned back to the pile.

It was time.

* * *

It was dark… extremely dark, but they were alive. 

Sakura gave it her all, and just barely managed to strain the card beyond its safe limits. Fortunately for everyone, the shield was able to withstand not just the weight of the rubble that buried them, but the force when it hit, and the temperature when it hit. Though… even with the card holding up, they were still trapped without an alternative.

Still in a daze, she struggled to sit up. There were various sounds of pain around her, but none seemed the worst for wear. Or so she thought. She still needed to check, so she went the verbal approach.

"Is everyone ok?"

Everyone murmured a response as best they could, but something seemed off. She wasn't sure if she had heard it right. There was at least one voice… missing.

Now that she thought about it… she didn't hear Kero at all.

"Kero… chan?" she said searchingly, using his original nickname to try to reach through the darkness. But there was no response. There was only the darkness, and the rising stuffiness of the interior.

Groaning, she stretched forward with her hands, attempting to feel out for him. She felt over the various bodies around her as she moved towards the back. It was only then towards the distant back, did she find anything that was remotely different… something wet… and warm.

* * *

"This is boring… weren't you going to do anything?" 

Shi ignored Faski's whine. He didn't like him anyway. However, with a sudden shift, he released his fury.

And in that moment, his scythe struck the debris pile hard, and repeated relentlessly.

* * *

Within the pile, Syaoran felt the shaking from the attacks from the outside, but knew it was pointless to worry. At the moment… they couldn't do much of anything. What they needed was light, but a fire spell wouldn't just be unwise, it would be devastating. 

What's more, he knew that Sakura's mind was elsewhere, and that wasn't good. They needed light more than anything, or else they'd lose their bearings.

Then it hit him.

* * *

Sakura felt the warmth and knew it could be only one thing. And there was no response. If only she could see! 

Suddenly, a sharp bluish light made her turn.

"Yue…" and next to him, Syaoran? Yue's hand was outlined with his blue energy, just throwing enough light, it didn't matter how it had come about now. What was important was Kero.

"Kero…" she said desperately to his now illuminated form. And more than that, now she could see the damage, and it made her want to cry.

From what she could see, he was lying unconscious in a heap, blood coming from a broken wing that lay trapped beneath a chunk of concrete that had inflicted the damage just prior to the shield's appearance. It looked bad. And would it heal? Or was he bound to be-

"Don't worry." Came Yue's soothing voice. I know what you are thinking, and he'll be alright. But still, we need to move him or he'll be in a worse shape.

Sakura nodded as visions of the dream flitted back into view. It was ok. Kero was there as well. Both Kero and Yue. Suddenly, another aspect of the dream came back.

Light chases shadow.

It was just at this realization that the debris above them blew away, and Shi's blade lay imbedded in the shield's exterior as Faski's voice filtered in.

"Ha ha… found you."

* * *

Sakura was wrenched from her thoughts as the words hit her ears. But now… now she knew what to do. She had to do it… 

"Yue, Spinel, Syaoran… on my word… I'm going to drop the cover. Do what it takes."

"Three… two… one… MARK!"

The shield dropped just an instant before three different attacks blew the remaining debris aside and caused the hunters to back slightly. But that was all she needed.

"LIGHT!"

* * *

Across the city, in a lightless neighborhood, rested a figure of small build. 

Apparently out of breath, she struggled to renew her supply of air before moving on. There was no time for anything… none for resting… none for going forward… no, time was simply a luxury that was unaffordable. Even for those who outshined the rest.

Yes… there was no room for shining now. Without light… not even the moon would shine. Without light…

Then, against the still of the motionless night, a muffled explosion resounded… and then came the light… a light that in a lightless world was god. It was an impossible lure to resist.

Despite a set of empty lungs, the figure gave a sigh, and then trudged forward.

* * *

Sakura uncovered her eyes and stared out into the light. Even for her acute visual capabilities, she was blinded in the relentless and cruel volume of light that had flooded the remnants of the battered platform. Normally it was much kinder, but in wake of Kero and his injuries… her emotions had escalated it to the level of a small nova swell. 

It was impossible to see the hunters now… but every instinct she had told her that they were as far from the rays as possible. After all… shadows sought shadows when pursued by light. It was more than likely that this blast had sent them back to the corpse-ground below. It gave her a shudder as the realization came. She had no choice but to take the fight to them... in their own form of hell.

Un-amused by this turn of events, she mentally eased the volume of light, and had her take a new position at a more reasonable height. All about the platform, the light level dropped dramatically, but to a much more reasonable state. Sakura sighed in relief to find the rest of the platform truly empty. Momentarily put at ease, she turned to tend to her group.

"With the exception… is everyone all right?" she asked tentatively. She briefly let her eyes linger on Kero's unconscious form as she swept over them all. Over all… Kero seemed the only one to take extensive damage.

"Sakura. Perhaps Yue and I may be able to right his condition just between the two of us. After all… the three of us are creations of Clow's will." Offered Spinel. He looked to the unconscious form of Kerberos and then back to Sakura.

She nodded.

"Sounds good," she replied with little additional thought. "That will give the rest of us time to devise a plan…" she looked sad for just a moment before finishing grimly, "or else we might as well succumb to a similar fate."

That said, she knelt down and placed her hand on Kero's shoulder. "Get better soon…" she whispered. Then she stood and went to where her brother and boyfriend stood... or rather… were.

Syaoran was sitting with his back against what was left of a destroyed pillar, and holding his sword by the hilt with the tip firmly imbedded in the concrete deck. Meanwhile Touya was sitting on a flat piece of debris on what was left of the pile and checking out a cut on his leg that was bleeding freely. Both had their share of rips and tears in their street clothes… and even some of the bandages of Syaoran's were torn and coming undone.

All in all… they looked the worst for wear.

"You two ok?" Sakura asked kindly. They both looked weary, but nodded nonetheless. "That's good… because while those two help Kero, we have to do our best to help all of us. Think you are ready? Good. Then let's get started."

* * *

From outside on the streets, the dilapidated train station platform above looked less like itself, and more like an abandoned light house of immense proportions. Spanning its entire reach, a dome of light arched high into the night sky like a beacon. But as the lone structure amidst the hoard of countless bodies, it had a new role: Sentinel of the killing fields. 

As a street scene already riddled with enough dead, those who died with their eyes open could do no more than stared from where they lay, just as those who died looking up could only do nothing more than give silent welcome… to those who'd meet them willingly in this plane of death. So as Sakura, Syaoran, and Touya descended to the street, there were no objections. There simply couldn't be.

With a fluid movement, they took their places silently. Sakura to the front, Syaoran to the side, and Touya to the rear. As they moved towards the open space in the middle of the street, Sakura's wings faded away, the signal to those above to move as well.

"So…" Syaoran led, "we can't see them, but they know exactly where we are…"

"I won't lie… that's exactly it," Sakura figured. "But sometimes the prey must lead the hunter into thinking that it is he with the advantage."

"Or else we won't know their location either…" Touya finished. "It's definitely a better plan than looking for them directly." He ran his hand across his forearm and then eyed something at the ground.

Syaoran looked away and scanned his surroundings. "Well," he stated matter-of-fact, "I'm not really worried about my situation or Sakura's at the moment… but what can you possibly do for yourself?" he shot at Touya.

Sakura's brother smiled to himself as he tucked something behind his back. He was kneeling next to one of the bodies and looking quite smug. "That's easy." He replied as he stood once Syaoran looked around. "Improvise."

"Heh…" Syaoran replied looking doubtful. Deciding that now wasn't really the time to pursue their rivalry, he went back to scanning the surroundings, as shadows danced in the night sky as the light slowly faded away. The darkness that had fled before slowly returned.

Sakura breathed shallow trying to keep her heart steady. It was quiet… and her heart was loud. It was too loud to concentrate. She closed her eyes… and when she opened them, it was noticeably colder.

This was it.

Without much movement, she plucked her key from its place on her necklace, holding it gingerly in her hand. Sakura looked to the others and they seemed to be expecting what she did, as their eyes darted quickly just did hers. They were near… she could tell.

"Sword…" she breathed at just above a whisper. "Wait for it…"

Her eyes focused in on something in the distance. With a flick of her eye, she also determined the location of her air support. In just a moment's time… "N-"

Before she could finish, the front of the building beside her blew out, engulfing her, Syaoran, and Touya in a swirling mass of flame, broken glass, and shattered bricks. There was no warning. But before a second later… the flames parted to reveal their party of three shielded and safe. Sakura was not happy.

"Faski…" she growled low.

Faski stood in the doorway of the smoldering building. There was a look of extreme satisfaction on his face that simply aggravated her. What's more, he was alone.

"Little girl… I have but a question for you…" he asked amused. "Are you really as capable as we hope you are, or is it merely an act?"

Sakura paused as the shield faded. Syaoran and Touya flanked her and looked flustered, but made no movement forward. It was safer that way.

"It doesn't really matter… but I'm guessing not. Otherwise you wouldn't have all the unwanted company you hoard." He smiled. "And another thing… you are way to easily distracted. Right? Shi."

* * *

Syaoran had been worried. He knew Sakura was emotionally hurt by Kero's injury, and having to form a plan to fight such odds with much more than just their lives on the line was another edge pusher. But he was surprised that she went on so calmly. 

As they pressed forward to find the hunters below, she never hesitated. Furthermore, she entrusted the ground work to just the three of them. If he was at the peak of his game, Syaoran knew that he was reliable… but now…

Then there was her brother. She trusted him… but wasn't it mostly just for moral support? Or was it to keep a calm head among them? Whatever the reasons… Syaoran feared his battle experience, if he even had any. Truthfully… he had never seen him once lift anything other than his fists.

But the details aside, it was Sakura that worried him most. Even if she was versatile, she was still out of her league. And the way she spoke… it seemed to erase all he knew about her. It was the beginning of someone else.

And as Shi's blade came out from the darkness, he was sure there was fear still. He knew he could see the apprehension. But as her sword and his blade locked, he knew what it was that drove her. She was fueled with rage.

* * *

"GrrrRAARGGH!" 

Sakura knocked Shi's scythe blade aside as she screamed with a feral rage. But she didn't stop there. Instead, she went for the jugular… or as least where she thought it should be.

* * *

Faski watched with amusement as the girl tried to slash his partner with her weapon. It was a fun sport. She was definitely much more enjoyable that that Eriol kid. 

His face fell. But there was no time for fun and games. He had work to do.

One shot is all that this should take.

With care, he pulled out his spinning weapon and expanded it. This time it would be his biggest flame yet.

With nothing to stop him, he lined up his shot.

"Sorry kid… but your night ends here..." he stated regrettably.

"Now be a good little girl… and die."

* * *

A/C: Sorry it took a while... I had writer's block for two weeks. This was originally going to be one big chapter... but I don't think I'm even half done, so I decided to split it up so people at least know that the story is still being written. 


	21. Fire & Ice Part II

Chapter 21: **Fire & Ice Part II**

"SHI!" Sakura screamed with rage as her sword locked with his scythe. It wasn't like her to do anything remotely like this, such an assault wastes energy… energy is needed to perform magic… thus this form of attack wasn't beneficial. This is what she would think. But that's only if thought had crossed her mind. At the moment, there were no thoughts. Just actions.

"Die…" she breathed through clenched teeth. "Why won't you die?"

With a cry of frustration, she broke away from his strike range and took a new stance momentarily, before running at him full throttle.

Unfortunately, he had seen this method coming, and parried her blow, but at the same time brought her in closer. Without a break in the movement, he released the hold of his weapon and brought his hand to chest level. It was at this second, he flicked his fingers out. The touch of death.

However, Sakura in the unlikelihood of rationality knew this to be the case and was just barely able to escape and flip out of reach. Well… not exactly escape. From a freshly torn sleeve, a dark liquid seeped out and ran down her arm. Caught in the moment, she ignored it completely. Just as she ignored her present location…

* * *

Faski smiled. Shi had pushed her into just the right location. This was it. Game over. 

Without a second's delay, he fired his final blast. And as the blast streaked towards its oblivious target, he could only watch and wonder. Was death at an instant all that painless?

"-DECEND!"

Suddenly, from nowhere a voice disrupted his thought process, and even as he watched dumbfounded… the massive blaze released from his weapon curved off its flawless path and into the ground five meters from Sakura feet. It missed. That couldn't be… it was impossible.

It was aided.

With an evil stare, he looked off to the side. There, with his sword held sideways and at chest level, was that brat from before. Beside him and off to the side was another one… though a little taller.

Shit. He'd forgotten all about them. Then he smiled. In his reasoning, at least things would be interesting once again.

Not to mention… killing them would definitely be more fun.

* * *

Sakura stood resolute, absolutely determined to strike him down. Though an immense amount of heat energy exploded just behind her, it meant nothing. In fact, the blazing fury of the hungry flames only helped to outline her internal fire. 

From Shi's perspective, it must have been a discomforting sight. Even as the fire licked at her back, it looked less like Faski's blundered attempt and more like a violent aura, with the ambient light framing her body's edges, but tucking the rest of it in shadow. Her free blowing hair was out in volume to the side, and the fire's reflective lighting made it look all the more surreal. Even as the blood trickled down her arm, she showed nothing. There was no emotion in her anymore… only a dead stare that held her agenda.

An agenda of death…

"No more…" she stated in a deadpan voice. "I'll take no more. However…" she raised her sword as her adversary did nothing but look on, "I'll give instead… then take from you."

She brushed aside some of the hair blowing in her face with her free hand, then smiled. In that brief moment, she allowed her sword to drop slightly.

"NOW!"

She flung the sword at her opponent with deadly force. If all went planned… this would be great. She wondered if it would.

A moment later, she'd find that it had…

Just as the sword neared its intended target, Shi both attempted to block and step out of the way. However, just as his weapon made contact with hers she used the connecting wire to pull it back, effectively wrenching his weapon free… and that wasn't all. As her weapon returned and his went in a different direction, he stepped right into the next phase.

From the sky, a deadly rain of both crystal shards and black fire pummeled and burned him relentlessly. There was little he could do but futilely shield the onslaught from above as both Spinel and Yue descended from the skies mercilessly. Sakura, with her sword back in hand, also pushed forward. Even though there was a slight shred of rationality within her, it had no place in her heart.

The only thing that belonged there now… was a burning determination to destroy.

* * *

Not far from Sakura's dominating battle, but well far beyond reach of earshot, Faski had his first taste of humility since the night's start… and it was his own blood. To make matters all that more frustrating, that blood was visible to his opponents. With a deepening surge of hatred he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. 

As he stood awaiting their next collective assault, he thought of nothing save for the various ways he would enjoy prolonging their individual sufferings. Furthermore… he was just to make those thoughts a reality when an unexpected sound filled his ears… accompanied by a sudden quell of heat and darkness. A wail of pain from his soundless companion and what looked to be the attack that inflicted such injury. When he had turned to look, he had caught just a glimpse before his own sight erupted in flames.

Furious, he swung his face from the blaze and stared right into its source.

"Where were you looking?" Syaoran stated with amusement as the fire from his sword danced back to nothingness. "Don't you remember? You were fighting us. Only us."

Faski put a hand to his face as if to feel for damage over his one eye. Apparently satisfied with his inspection, he lowered it and sneered. All the while, he managed to keep his disk spinning and on the ready, though at this time it had developed a slight lag that suggested a potential opening.

"Feh." Faski spat. "Only you… just as Shi was only fighting that girl." He looked around briefly, but never really took his eyes from them. "You can't just fool me like that."

"Like what?" Touya pondered aloud. "Just how many of do you think there are? Not to mention that you already killed one of our group when you collapsed the ceiling."

"Did I? You don't seem to care much if that was the case." Faski accused.

Touya shrugged. "I never really liked him much." He gave a small chuckled before going on. "He was just a stuffed animal after all. Not too smart, and ate all the snack foods in the house. To me, a nuisance that I'm glad to be rid of." He looked over to Syaoran. "Right, Syaoran?"

"Yeah…" Syaoran supported, though he never dropped his guard. "It was more of a service to me. But her…" he jerked his head in Sakura's direction. "She's just a bit more sensitive… so I'll have to take you down."

"Ha. So you're her bitch, eh?" Faski grinned. "An' here I thought better of you."

"Nah… you know… or maybe you don't… how women can be. They're responsive to such things." Syaoran smiled as he thought of how she'd kill him for this next statement. "It makes them easier… you know? The difficult ones."

Faski started laughing. "I like your style kid. It's just too bad I have to kill you too. I hope you go easy for me… no hard feelings and the like?"

"None." Syaoran agreed. "As long as the same holds true for you."

Faski sighed happily. "Of course. What are enemies for?"

At once, Syaoran closed his openings and went in at a feint. Just before he lashed out with his sword, he sidestepped the hunter and then flipped out of the way.

"NOW, Touya!"

Faski whipped around toward the direction Syaoran shouted, but when he had, it dawned on him that that was a ruse as well.

In that opening, Touya chose to strike. With the accuracy of a professional, he whipped out his hand, and the three throwing knifes hit their mark.

A howl of fury followed as Faski reacted to the blades deep in his shoulder muscle. With a movement of speed that matched his opponents, he jerked the blades free. The resulting agony made him reconsider his earlier thoughts.

When he caught them… they suffer pains worthy of a thousand deaths.

* * *

Sakura fought with a fury that few possessed. With a combined magical presence and a determination that surpassed her ancestors, she was a true inspiration. Truly, she would make the entire island of Japan proud. But all that was hearsay for the moment. Only the end mattered, and that's exactly what she fought for. 

With a cry that tore the heavens, she came down upon the last vestige of Shi's defense. Her sword hit both hard and determined, and sent him reeling backwards into a mound of debris that came from the station's platform. All around her, the bodies and dead faces of the deceased seemed to cheer her onward, though she paid them no heed whatsoever.

Her only concern was Shi.

As she started toward him, both Yue and Spinel joined her. In the darkness ahead, Shi was not moving.

* * *

Touya lifted his sleeve to check his supply. Unfortunately, the last of his knives had not hit, and he had just about exhausted his supply. But on the plus side, Faski was injured and thus slower… and Touya was still far from defenseless. 

From his shoulder, Faski felt the throb of the wounds with every beat of his heart. Though they bled profusely, he still smiled, despite his labored breathing. After all… he still had some tricks of his own.

Syaoran on the other hand, had stopped smiling. Even before their talk with Faski, his arm had begun to bother him again. Now, it just hurt… and in a while… if they were unable to resolve this skirmish, he might lose its function completely.

At best, Syaoran could only think of one thing. Get rid of his weapon… and then move in for the kill.

* * *

Shi's breathing had collapsed. It was well beyond labored at this time, and Sakura knew why. She knew instantly. And she only could know… by seeing him personally. 

Sometime during their combined assault, half the hood and most of the tattered cloth on Shi's body had burned away. With his motley reddish brown suit and the affixed skeleton, he looked like a victim of third degree burns. Even on his face… the part not shrouded by the hood… had the suit's muscle-like covering up past his cheekbone, while his beady eye stared out with pure hatred. As for his hair, it was gone. Whether it had burned away, or had never existed, she couldn't tell.

Sakura looked down at him with disgust. Yue and Spinel also looked on, but with a brimming hatred. None of the three, however, could see well enough in the darkness to notice that Shi's free hand had grabbed a piece of the debris. At the moment, he was too busy keeping their attention to his eye.

"Well then…" he croaked in a raspy voice that sounded more like a death draw then a voice. "Are you going to kill me?"

If he intended to put them off by his voice, he failed. Because it was at that moment, Sakura had already decided. "Yes." She replied without emotion. "Tonight, you die."

* * *

"FASKI!" 

Syaoran lifted his head in momentary shock as Touya with his normally calm nature let loose with an unnatural scream of fury. However, as Faski lunged at him, Syaoran found his opening. Finally.

With a desperate swing, one that took most of his last reserve of strength, he connected with the disk at last… and in that moment, was lost in an explosion. As he felt himself hit hard upon the street, debris and bodies alike being tossed aside, his eyes widened as Faski's weapon also flew from the explosion, and imbedded itself in the pavement. And all the more surprising was that of its true appearance. Not one of a disk at all… but that of a staff.

So that was his secret.

And that was the last Syaoran knew… because at that moment, the exhaustion overcame him and he was conscious no more.

"Tsk…" said a voice just up from where Syaoran lay. "I never show anyone that thing… and now you made me show everyone. At least I'll be relaxed knowing that you kept up your end of our bargain."

Without additional sound, Faski stooped low and hefted a large chunk of debris.

"Sorry kid…" he held the concrete above Syaoran and paused in solace. "It's not my style, but you left me no choice."

* * *

Sakura paused but a moment and hesitated. She wasn't sure why she did, but afterwards she'd think it as fate's call. Because just in that moment, it was all the man at her feet needed. 

With the start of her vertical strike, he not only blocked the blade with a shield of ice, but knocked her off balance. In addition, he turned her situation to his advantage. In fact, it was lucky that she did fall, because it was at that moment that he detonated his shield, sending jagged pieces of ice shrapnel every direction.

As both Yue and Spinel had been forced to take cover, they had to shield their eyes in the process, while Shi slipped away. Before they knew it, their adversary was safely tucked away in the darkness. He was gone.

What done was done, though at the moment, her sword was less a help and now simply a burden. With less effort than what it would take to carry it otherwise, she returned it to its key form, and placed back on her necklace. This was already a longer night than she had asked for. She just hoped the others were ok.

* * *

Faski felt the weight in his hands. Though his decision was already made, he didn't like it. Not only was his opponent helpless, but he was just beginning to grow on him… plus, to hit him with a chunk of concrete… now that… that was brutal. 

He smiled. Perfect.

With a savage cry, he pulled his arms back in preparation for the driving force. However, he never got the chance. From out of nowhere, a feral roar sounded from all around him, just as a great, wingless beast collided with his chest, sinking its teeth into his uninjured shoulder.

As he reeled backwards from the pain and the weight of the beast, the debris he was holding smashed to the ground just centimeters from Syaoran's head. Furious from the surprise and injury, he used what was left of his strength to hurl the monstrous Kerberos against one of the buildings to his side. Though his arms were sopped with blood, he was just about to land a finishing punch to Kero's midsection when a chain wrapped around his wrist, halting his momentum.

"Ka-sari!" he said with surprise as his eyes widened. With a feral growl those same eyes narrowed. "No… you!"

Touya's breathing was heavy, but he still managed a smile despite the situation. "Of course…" he smiled. "Who did you think it would be?" Without waiting for a reply he decided to taunt him more. "Oh… just so you know, I guess the animal isn't dead after all. Right, fuzz-ball?"

Kero shrugged off the insults as he righted himself. "Yeah…" he said in a low voice. "That's right."

"And since you are in such an agreeable state after your resurrection, make yourself useful and grab his weapon before he can."

"Sure… but…" Kero paused. "What weapon?"

At the moment Touya jerked his head up to look in the direction of the staff, it was Faski's turn to smile. With a delicate effort, he broke free of the chain's hold, just as his staff struck the ground between them. But this was different… and Faski was lost to the steam that it emitted, which with this lighting might just as well have been smoke.

"Shit!"

Touya could only watch as the great blackness expanded and moved toward a nearby alley. There was no way he could follow now. It was just best to find the others and regroup. After all… both sides had suffered enough damage that either wouldn't care to start once again.

* * *

Sakura stumbled slightly as she stepped down a pile of rubble that now cluttered the street in frequent piles. Though her eyesight was far superior to the others in her group, she knew that it was potential suicide to go towards the cloud that now surrounded the street area away from the station. And while the piles made it difficult to walk through, at least in helped burry the unfortunates… even if they had brought it upon themselves. 

In a way, though the previous fight was unresolved, she was glad it had paused, as it let her catch her breath. Hopefully no one had sustained any further injury… Kero's injury was enough for one night. Despite herself she laughed. She should be one to talk about injury… not only from the wound on her arm, but on her head and legs as well. Hell, she wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't bleeding still elsewhere.

"Yue… Spinel… are you all right?" she asked as they trudged from the darkness.

"Ah… in a way, yes." Spinel replied honestly.

Yue on the other hand looked as though he was favoring one shoulder over the other, and at Sakura's kind eyes of concern, he quickly dismissed it. "It's nothing." He stated blandly as he looked away.

Sakura chuckled. He was a terrible liar.

"Ok, then… let's find the others."

"Actually, there's no finding required. We're already here."

Sakura looked up surprised, but happy. However, when all she saw was her brother, she faltered in her happiness. More than anything, she wanted to see Syaoran. After all, like many of the others… he was absent in her dream.

"Touya… what about Syaoran?"

"Actually," floated up a voice that helped calm her slightly, "He's with me."

"Kero? You're ok?"

"Sorta… but my wings have seen better days, in fact, as of now they'd only get in my way, what with my present task."

As Kero finished speaking, he switched from a light tone to a more sympathetic one. But that switch wasn't really needed, since Sakura was at his side before he finished. After she saw his back, there was nothing that could keep her.

"Syaoran…" She felt the last of the previous quell of rage dissipate. With an innate rekindling of tenderness, she reached out to touch his face as Touya and Yue slid him off Kero's back. Though he had been through a lot, his face did nothing to show for it. His face was as placid as Sakura ever remembered it.

With a concerned touch, she brushed aside one of the loose strands of his hair that hung low over his face. If only she had been there with him… Lost in the thought, she put her face in her hands. When expectantly, she felt moisture on her fingers, she wasn't surprised… but considering she hadn't began crying yet…

Sakura stared blankly at her hands a moment, before it dawn on her that the liquid was hers. Without dwelling on it a second longer, she wiped it away with her sleeve.

"Sakura? Are you…"

"I'm all right… but Syaoran?" she prompted.

"He's fine," Touya offered. "He's just unconscious. I'm sure he'll be up and about soon."

"Ok." Seemingly satisfied that it was nothing serious, she gently laid him down at her feet. She was just about to decide on something, when a soft glow from beyond the steam-bank caught her attention.

Something was burning.

* * *

As the light crept along eerily through the breaks within the cloud, Sakura's sense of anxiety was rising. There wasn't much that could burn anymore… also, a burning would mean Faski… and that would mean he was still around. Not only were they still around, they were setting in motion something horrendous. After all, the only things in that direction were residential buildings. 

He was planning to burn them out in order to get their attention.

Once again, they were going to kill to lure them out.

Well then… if that's what they wanted… then that's what they'd get. And then some.

* * *

As the rich light permeated the surrounding darkness, Sakura felt her previously dissipated rage and apprehension make a comeback. Rage for the hunters… apprehension for the atrocities they were destined to create. As she was before, she reached a conclusion. Thoughts could wait… only actions were needed now… only results. 

With care she left Syaoran with the others, and motioned for them to hang back. However, with the hunters, she would leave death. She would see to it personally.

"FASKI!"

Silence.

"FASKI!"

Still silence, though the voice rebounded off the walls and came back.

"FASKIIII!"

Just then, on her loudest cry, silence was not the reply. Instead, what she got was a deep and taunting chuckle that seemingly started from an inaudible level until it built to such a height that it began to hurt. It was the breaking point.

"Faski..." Sakura started low, which could probably not be heard over the laugh. Though, surprisingly enough… it did. "I'm sick of these games… of the cowardice. Are you not a hunter? If I hadn't fought you before, I'd think that it was us who were hunting… and you the prey."

There was a slight pause, but she did not have to wait long for the response.

"Games… why not? Games are fun to play. In fact, if you don't start ours… and soon, we'll play with everyone else. It's your choice though… step across our threshold. Meet us on the other side. Only then… only then, will you have our undivided attention. If you do not… then everyone dies."

"Heh… I think not." Sakura took a deep breath, then let it out slowly. "Windy." With the mere mention of the word, her hair tugged against gravity's pull as it started floating on the cylindrical vortices budding at her command. _Let me pass… Windy!_

With just the mere thought of the power, Windy, her first card ever to possess and wield was no more just a card… but an ability. As it was, she, and the rest of the cards, now served as extensions of her mind. And as any aspect of the mind… it was dreadfully accurate.

Without further instruction, the wall of steam before her was buffeted by the typhoon-force gales and pushed aside. In short, the entire barrier wrought so skillfully as the perfect curtain was defeated instantly. It ceased to be. However, though the curtain fell, this play was meant to continue… and to lead it on, Faski grinned.

"Gotcha."

* * *

As Sakura picked herself up from the ground, she cursed under her breath. What was wrong with her? That was the question of this entire week so far. Why did she behave in such ways with Syaoran at the start of it? Why was she so calm in some instances and so panicked in others? What were her reasons for doing what she had? Why the bloodlust, anger, and rage? 

To all these questions, there repeated but one answer: I don't know.

It was foolishness… all of it. So blind… so arrogant… so stupid… it didn't make sense. It was as though she was suffering a mid-life crisis at an early age of nineteen. Or was all this because these were the actions one led when it was their turn to go? Again… to this she didn't know.

The only thing she did know, was that at this time, she played the fool.

Like an idiot, driving further to her point of confusion over herself, she waltzed right into the obvious… just because of her feelings. Feelings would do her no good if they only led to her death. But now, there was at least one thing that she definitely knew: that that really hurt.

It was only because of reflexes she honed so long ago that she was not dead already. She knew that in her much younger days, she would have fallen before she could even lift the first card. But that was then… this was now… and now took everything she had. And then some.

Focusing her mind, she snapped back into reality.

"I'm quite impressed you know…" rang Faski's voice in her ears, since she was still dazed, "not only did you managed to see through my plan of attack… but you also managed to block my fire stream with just your wind." He smiled and his teeth shone in the ambient light from a fire not blazing in the buildings, but from the end of his staff… which must have been that thing he had before. "Truly, I'm impressed."

"Impressed…" She wiped her mouth of the hint of blood that appeared at its corners. Looking back with her instincts, she was glad that the others were still leaving things to her… despite her injuries. "I was lucky."

He smiled. "I'd say. However, luck won't keep you forever." The fire from his staff dissipated as he grabbed it and took stance. "That I promise you. Oh… and by the by… I'm glad you chose to accept."

"Accept what?"

"Why the game of course. After all… you've crossed the threshold. Now then… catch!"

Without asking, Sakura ignored the protest in her limbs, just to vault away at the moment a lash of flame landed just where she'd been a second before. However, the attack didn't give her chance to rest. Instead, the minute flame gathered in itself and strengthened with renewed intensity. To make matters worse, it seemed to move…. or rather, follow her.

Wrapping the night with blazing heat, the flame did both cut and burn the surroundings as it tore through the earth on a collision course. There was little to do but avoid it. And avoid it she did.

Over the next few minutes, she found that the complexity of his attacks had risen to a new level. Though the first flame had dissipated quickly, there were others to replace it. A whole series of fire whips sent from the end of the staff.

These were just as bad or worse than the attacks before. Control of fire to new extremes… direction altering at whims of fury… and what's more, a new profound sense of open hostilities. Speaking frankly, she had had enough.

Just as the last of a series abated, Sakura let loose a tactical wind strike that would have done Shi's 'touch of death' proud. And so it was… for when she saw him next, the hunter of fire had several gashes across his chest. It was not something that Faski took lightly.

Despite her above-average hearing, even Sakura lost his words to the howl that escaped the staff. As the fires lashed out at everything within the strike radius, even unheard words echoed with certainty. In short, these rules have changed.

* * *

Touya gaped at the alley way with a certain mixture of horror and uncertainty. Somewhere nearby, he thought he heard the screams of his sister, but it took him a moment longer to realize that those weren't hers. It was someone in one of those buildings. They were on fire.

* * *

Whatever remaining harmony Sakura had remained, it dissolved as Faski's fire whip consumed the greater part of a building. Within moments, over fifty residents met with the fires of hell prematurely, whether that be their final destination or not. For some, they didn't even get to open their eyes… others still met their deaths on the outside, some by fire, and some by Shi's touch. In its entirety, it was a massacre. 

It was her fault.

"What now, little girl?" Faski called out. "What would you have us do now?"

Sakura said nothing. All in all, it was safer that way. As before, of all her viable thoughts and answers, when in search of herself and the correct path, it all led back to one answer: I don't know.

If it was foolish to let go, then it was a fool's path she would take.

She stood there in silent, quaking rage. Because of her… because of her… She thought of the scores of innocents that had met their fate on this day or the one prior. It sickened her in her heart to know that she was the one. She was responsible. And as she stared into the face of one of the dead, she found her answer: that everything she had done before was the only correct method because this… this was war.

Knowing what she knew now, she hesitated no more. For in war, the one who hesitates is surely the one to fall. With the dream in mind, still fresh as the acrid smell of the fires in the wind, she would not see that become reality.

"Windy…" The winds began to dance around her as the fires to her sides threatened to consume the night. She smiled in a grim determination. "Fiery…" A burning accumulated, not only at her feet now, but in her heart. If the old saying had any truth at all, sometimes it was best to fight fire, with fire. In her mind she had the plan now. It was well established. But for this… this…

"Razor's edge, dull no more. As a protective screening, I implore. With powers mighty, you will grow.  
Become thy raging INFERNO!"

* * *

Moments before the last release, both hunters had already retreated further into the depths of the alley to the darkness. However, whatever they hoped to accomplish with that move became dust the second she uttered the final word. For within that second, they were no more than deer, quelled by the burning of a pine grove saturated with fossil fuels. 

There was nowhere to run.

* * *

As Sakura stood bathed in the light of a thousand suns, she smiled in spite of her deed. With all her fury, she had done it. She had released the power of the stars. She knew it. 

And as the massive column of flame burned, it did so within the entire alley. Just as planned… but the thought was still of no comfort. With just the winds separating her and the inferno she had created, she could not suppress whatever this guilt was that claimed her. She could not deny the voice of her conscience council. She could not.

Instead, with a tear that wet her cheek, she watched. Watched the terror… watched the monster she had wrested. With increasing sorrow, watched as those bodies of the innocents disappeared forever, never to be seen again Never held… never to be recognized… never to have proper burial… instead, she knew, she knew… that it was her that would erase the evidence, and deny closure in the relatives still of the living.

Such things… such was her burden to bear.

For several long minutes, the fire continued to burn. When it was over, she dared not touch the ground, for though it was kept temperate from the wind that outlined the entire alley and the smells of battle gone, the air was dead. Anymore these days… it seemed everything was doomed to die.

Maybe… maybe even her.

* * *

A/C (9/13/05): Well... I'm behind schedule if I want to complete this thing in a timely manner. I had hoped by November... but it might take longer than that. Anyway, for those who wonder, I am over half way done with the chapters, but no number has been set. I hope this chapter wasn't too disfunctional for anyone... 

Thanks again for all those who choose to review. It definitely accelerates the process.


	22. Tainted Steel

Chapter 22: **Tainted Steel**

Without any real intent for doing what would come next, Sakura could do nothing but stare ahead. Maybe… just maybe, if she were to absorb everything that had transpired before her eyes, then she would be able to do something more. However, try as she did, it was hopeless, for in the end she could do nothing but look on.

As she did, she became faintly aware of a presence as it sidled up next to her. Unconcerned, she waited. After all, there was no threat in this one. For this one she knew very well.

"It is quite the sight, Sakura." Kero looked up at her, but when no reply came, he simply sat and waited for the time to pass. It was a moment longer before he spoke again. "You did what you could and then some. If it had been against opponents on our level, we would be no more. But what do you think?" He lowered his voice for effect. "Do you think that they have passed?"

"No… I don't." She sighed and taking her eyes from the scene finally, she gave her reply directly. "I don't think anymore… I've decided that thinking is the enemy. But to answer your question? I hope so. But something tells me otherwise. And what I feel is… that the hunt continues."

"Then let it continue." Said a familiar voice behind her. "For when it does, we will meet it head on… and we will be ready."

Unbelievingly, Sakura turned about slowly, hoping that the voice she knew and the face she loved matched exactly. For her, it was fortunate that they did. "Syaoran…" Without further words, she went to the figure as he emerged from the darkness and leaned against him. "I'm glad you are ok."

Despite his difficulties, Syaoran smiled. "Of course I am… of course I am." With his free hand he stroked her hair gently. With his other hand… it was all he could do for stability, his sword buried in the rubble at his feet. Though with what tenacity he had left, he did his best to comfort her, and hold her as lovers should.

"Now then," he said soothingly, "let's go evaluate your damage."

"Ok."

With slow but deliberative steps Sakura led Syaoran through the alley. What had likely been a filthy, trashy place before showed no such signs now, as everything in the entire alley was bone-barren. Past the sentry buildings, which now were completely without flame after her wind sucked it away; there were trashcans that had become mere shadows of themselves as the only form the represented now was that of melted disks.

From above, Sakura could feel the stares on what she could believe were the only residents of the other buildings that had the nerve. She didn't care. As it was, they were no threat, and even if they were reporting her, they couldn't see her. And what with her companions, if even one person were to see a winged beast or being, then it was increasingly likely for them to remain silent.

Even from before the fights, Sakura had contemplated on whether to risk putting the city to sleep or not… but in the good conscience, couldn't do so. People needed to respond to whatever violence befell them, no matter the cost. After all, she'd rather have those involved unwillingly die on their feet, then perish in dreams. Besides, though unlikely, it was always possible that one of them might help her out.

She was broken from her thoughts, which she admitted quietly to herself she shouldn't have, by a rustle of wind against her unshielded cheek. Glancing over to the side she was happy, but not all too surprised to see that the others had joined her. The exception being Yue and Spinel, who had both taken flight prior to when the alley accepted admittance.

However, their aerial vantage was not really of use, when the facts remained that neither hunters could fly, nor was either certain to remain, when nothing else had. Though, it became all the more clear to everyone at ground level that the hunters were definitely not to be found. For the gaping holes before them were all the proof needed to discern where their true locations rested.

"Ah…" said Kero wearily. "I guess it was too much to ask for wasn't it? Well then… we have at least one gopher."

"Ah." Sakura supplied weakly.

"And at least one rabbit." Touya noted, as he looked away from the hole in the ground to one in the side of a building. If nothing else, it was just another hassle to an already disheartening situation. To get a closer evaluation, he bent to inspect the ground at the edge of the building.

"Then I guess that makes things easier for everybody."

Sakura blink as she looked to Syaoran, who had said that with surprising certainty.

At her confused expression, he smiled.

"Look at it this way…" he drew a breath and steadied himself better before continuing. "We… all of us, are injured in one form or another. The hunters are too… so this could just be another form of a tactical retreat. Think about it… both are injured, and you've just routed them with a superior display of magical prowess. It only makes sense to me that they split up and went which ways they did based on injury.

"Try this… one went below ground with hopes that they could escape the open spaces to heal their wounds, and one took the above route because that is an easier one to follow, and they'd have an easier time avoiding us than the other. In that way, it works to their favor."

"Then what should we do? I don't want to go down there…" Sakura stated with an uncertainty attributed to her dislike of dark places.

"No… you won't have to."

"Then we'll split and follow them." Yue added to the conversation as he and Spinel descended from the sky.

"No, think of it this way, if we acknowledged that the weaker one was underground, then even if we all descended down there, they may still have the resources to crush us. That's why it's simply safer to ignore that one completely… and we follow the rabbit. In all of the possible scenarios it makes the most sense. Plus… there are more lives risked on the surface than down below."

"It makes sense." Acquiesced Touya. "Besides…" he held up one of the pieces of concrete that was only just visible from the light from the room that was broken into. "This is the hunter's blood. Aside from not matching what we had hoped, at least he's wounded." He smiled in the pale lighting. "So let's hunt the hunter."

Sakura and the others proceeded inside, despite a growing sense of apprehension. Were Sakura even thinking anymore, she might even think this a trap. However, with every additional step forward it became increasingly apparent that if they were to find him, he would be dead… or at least close to it.

Then, after many of broken walls and shattered doors, they came upon what looked like path's end. Huddled against a wall and wounded more grievously than they had thought, was the hunter of fire. A hunter that up until now represented a formidable foe. However, that didn't appear to be the case any longer.

"Heh…" He looked upon them as though hoping not to, but despite his wounds, still managed to smile. "I had thought… that you… would go… the other way." He fought with every word, yet still, still he could add the maniacal chuckle to accent his madness.

"That's right," said Syaoran menacingly as he brandished his sword. "We figured that we would go after the stronger one… in a safer environment, rather than take our chances in the sewers below where the terrain is less favorable. I guess we were wrong in at least one aspect."

With that, Syaoran stepped to the side for a better position. As he moved, it suddenly fell upon her the truth of the damage the hunter had received. It was bad.

From his waist to his shoulder, she could see nothing but blood and a rendering of flesh. Though not as bad, he even suffered sufficient damage on both his legs, and across parts of his neck and face. When she wondered what could have wrought such wounds, she thought back to her words. It was then she grasped what an incredibly deadly ability Windy actually had.

Caught in the moment, she didn't realize that Faski had been studying her. When she had, he spoke to her. It was an almost painful process in itself.

"Like it… doncha?" He sighed, then leaned against the wall. "I suppose it does make you happy… and to you," he looked right at Syaoran. "You are the one I will enjoy killing the most."

"Brave words for someone about to die."

"Am I?" With that he smiled. And as he did, the power went out, plunging them into the darkness.

Without thinking, Syaoran grabbed Sakura and heaved her with himself, into the next room. It was just seconds after that, that the entire structure began to quake. With an onset of horror, Sakura and Syaoran watched as the floor under the rest split in a multitude of several locations, and glistening pillars of ice grated through the floor beneath them.

In the moments that followed, she watched helplessly from behind a wall of ice as the floor gave way, sending Touya, Kero, Yue, and Spinel tumbling into the abyss. So panicked she was, she forgot completely about her own safety. A fact that came back to her with a fiery intensity.

* * *

In the moments that followed, Sakura could not discern when she had arrived outside… only that she had. Though being blasted through the wall of a building wasn't the first of a list of activities in which she wished to participate, she considered herself lucky for having fared amazingly well during the occurrence. Unfortunately… she was the only one who had. 

Although the subterranean attack had done well to dislodge the building's support and made the wall weaken to the verge of collapse, it had still proved itself strong. It dawned on her then why she had passed as well as she had. She didn't hit the wall; Syaoran did. And now as she reached out for him, she found him collapsed, and unmoving. With what strength she had left, she did her best not to scream.

"Well, well… looks like I found a soft spot."

Sakura looked up to see Faski standing unaided further down the street. Without power, the city was just as dead as the hunters' victims. On her knees, Sakura hugged the unconscious Syaoran tight to her chest. To her, this turn of events was cruel… too cruel.

Looking fairly pleased about something, Faski smiled. Though weak from the blood loss, he raised his weapon and held it before him. To Sakura, this was the first time she had seen it so clearly, but also knew that this was something completely different to the norm. For at just a mere glance, the entire thing was cracked, and glowing.

"I see it in your eyes… and now I don't have to tell you." He said slow and deliberately. "You know… you do… that this is not how it's supposed to be." He straightened and laughed a bit before taking his eyes off her and looking unto the staff as one would behold a wounded puppy. "You did this you know… both you and that boyfriend of yours there. Is he dead? I hope so. If not, that's more to kill. And kill I shall."

He sighed and rested his free hand on his injuries.

"You see this?" he lifted his hand and she watched as his blood rolled down. "This is the suffering you have done to me. And this," he shifted as he ran his bloodied hand over the now cracked and flaking shaft of his staff. "Is the pain you've cause my companion." His eyes narrowed, and his voice grew cold. "Would you know the severity of your actions, you would never have crossed our path."

"May I remind you," Sakura started with a determined voice, not once taking her eyes from him as she held onto Syaoran. "That it was you who crossed _my_ path first." She fought the hatred that claimed her heart, because a fight of great magnitudes now would only jeopardize her Syaoran further. "So it is you who should suffer your own actions."

"My actions?" He placed a hand on his chest, then renewed the words. "My actions? Let me show you… my actions."

Slamming the staff to the ground, he stepped back with a determined look on his face. From the missing pieces of covering, unrestricted fires burned free of their holding. As the fires spread, she heard cracking and saw additional flakes spring off.

"This… this is how I justify my being. These are MY ACTIONS!"

Sakura held Syaoran tighter as he ran a hand across the staff of fire and gave it a furious downward stroke. With all the integrity of living serpents, the fires leapt from the staff's end and separated into two entities of flame. The first, plowed itself into the building to their left, and the second crashed into the building on their right. In a matter a moments, both buildings were ablaze, and their heat scorched Sakura to the core. It felt though she was the one within the inferno this time.

With a grin, he summoned what strength he could and raised the staff high into the air. "Welcome then… to the gates of hell." He smiled to the air and the staff erupted again into a magnificent display of un-natural flame. And once again, Sakura heard noises of what she thought to be residual cracking, but the sounds were both much sharper before, and instead of originating with the staff itself, it sounded as though it was just beside her.

As the mysterious origin of the noise eluded her further, the hunter smiled. With a deep sense of relief, he lowered his weapon. "And so it ends."

"NOT IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT IT!"

Both caught by surprise, Faski and Sakura moved their heads toward the sound. As they did, a bright flash of light erupted just behind him. While it struck Sakura and forced her to avert her eyes, Faski swung about to look, just as a fist full of white powder met his eyes.

Leaving the hunter to howl in pained rage, the figure rushed forward and in a test of strength, wrenched both Sakura and the unconscious Syaoran from their spots and a little over a meter away. Just as they hit, a great crashing noise resonated in Sakura's ears. However, try as she may, the only image she could manage was that of a burning lump of nothingness against the darkness. As she fought with the dots that had claimed her vision, she mulled over what had just occurred.

After a few moments she gave up. As it was, the only thing she could decipher from the event was that someone had saved them… and though she swore she was mistaken, she thought it was a voice she knew. No matter, her vision had returned. And as it did the nothingness had transformed into the flaming rubble of a collapsed building-to-building walkway. If they hadn't moved, they'd be dead.

With that piece of information, as well as with the distancing cries of the hunter, Sakura was all the more grateful for her and Syaoran's savior. Though, as she placed her eyes over the figure of the person who had come to her aid, she gasped. Shocked as she was by the sight, her heart overflowed in its happiness. She couldn't help but smile as she whispered her name.

"Tomoyo."

* * *

Once Sakura got over the initial shock of it all, she felt a tear navigate her cheek. It wasn't possible… was it? How? 

Seeming to know her turmoil, Tomoyo reached over and the two embraced. Even though she had been through hell and back, and though those cards wouldn't work right, time itself seemed to stop momentarily and the insanity of the world quieted. So happy, Sakura couldn't repress the tears any longer.

As Sakura cried into Tomoyo's shoulder, her cousin stroked her hair lovingly. "It's ok Sakura. I'm here now. I'm home." Tomoyo smiled warmly and looked into Sakura's eyes, just before running her own eyes over her cousin's face, clothes, and figure.

Saddened by what she saw, she shook her head slowly. "No no no no… this won't do at all…" she admonished, then reached into her pocket and brought forth a white satin handkerchief. "There, there Sakura. It's alright now." With tender strokes of affection, she wiped away the dirt and grim of the struggle in which Sakura had been entangled.

Minutes after, she stopped. Apparently satisfied with her work, she grasped both sides of Sakura's head and kissed her on the forehead. "It's an improvement. Now then, before we talk further, let's bring your boyfriend back to the land of the conscious."

Without another word, Sakura made her way to Syaoran's side. Tomoyo was already there, digging in a small black bag next to her. Finding what she was after, she pulled out a small container that looked like Chap Stick and put it under Syaoran's nose and waved it back and forth. With a spontaneous jerk, he practically launched himself off the ground, if both girls hadn't been pinning him there already.

"What, where?"

"It's ok now. You're ok." Tomoyo said gently. When Sakura looked at her questioningly, Tomoyo smiled at her and beamed happily. "Smelling salts!"

"Ah…"

Syaoran looked at Sakura with an apparently relieved expression, then glanced over to Tomoyo. He voiced his confusion. "What… when… how?"

"Shhh…" Sakura said to him gently, placing her fingers to his lips. "I have yet to hear the details myself."

Calmed, Syaoran nodded. "Alright then… we'll hear them, but for now, let's keep moving."

"Are you sure you can?"

"Yeah…" he admitted weakly. "I'm alright now."

Sakura nodded and then looked to Tomoyo. With a silent agreement they took to either side of Syaoran and helped ease him to his feet. Once firmly supported against Sakura, they started walking away from the area now shrouded in a thick fog of smoke and ash.

Further down the street, Sakura couldn't suppress her questions any longer. "What did you do to the hunter? And where did you come from?"

With a sly grin, Tomoyo beamed with life. "To answer your first question… first, I got his attention with a flash grenade, then when he turned I blinded him."

"With what?"

"Powdered glass." As Sakura winced in response, Tomoyo continued to smile sweetly, but her eyes betrayed something more of sadistic glee… though Sakura knew that she possessed no such trait. "Terrible stuff. Remember how before our generation they used to sell an itching powder in joke shops? Well that's what itching powder is. They powder the glass so fine that it seeps into the pores on the skin and is impossible to remove short of digging it out of your skin. They banned it you know? Horrible stuff… I'd hate to think of what a single grain would do to an eye…"

As she trailed off, the mental imagery that conjured such a painful circumstance made Sakura shivered. And that was just one grain. She looked at Tomoyo with a new sense of horror when she openly admitted that she had used an entire handful.

"Yep. It was a good thing that I was wearing gloves too. Anyhow… about your second question…" Sakura perked up. This was what she really wanted to know. "Where I came from? Well, from the fringes of course!"

Sakura frowned. "The fringes?"

Tomoyo smiled brightly and gave Sakura a wink. In this area of the city, lights made it easier to see. "Of Tokyo, of course!" At the still confused looks she was getting, she continued. "Well, several hours ago I told you that I'd be coming. But I guess you didn't want to listen…"

"You did? When?"

"Oh… I left a message for you on the VTRM… but I guess you were busy at the time."

"Heh…" Sakura muttered bitterly. "More than you know."

"Well… actually, I would say that I know more than I let on… but I'm not to that part yet." As she paused, she looked to see if they were both still paying attention, and briefly wondered if Syaoran needed another whiff of smelling salt. Deciding he was ok, she continued. "So anyways… as I was trying to get back into the city, we, as in my bodyguards and I, discovered that the city was worse off than you had mentioned in your message the other night. In fact, the entire thing is blocked off.

"To make a long story short, we were stopped and they wouldn't let us pass. As my guards were arguing with the police about granting us passage, we saw the various explosions in the distance, and even Fiery's signature glow… at least so I thought. I see now that there are more flame magic users out there. Anyhow… while my guardians and the police argued, I slipped out of the back of the van, taking this bag of self defense tools and miscellaneous items. Since then I've tried to make it to your side before it was too late." She sighed and put a hand across her chest. "I'm more than thankful that I wasn't too late."

Sakura nodded. She was thankful as well. However, it sounded like Tomoyo had gone through a lot to get here… she only hoped that they were able to dodge further trouble and somehow get back with the others. As it was, Syaoran wasn't liable to be much more help tonight, as he was weak with injuries enough already.

"Oh yeah!" Tomoyo announced brightly. "I also snagged this camera. Now I can record the best of your next generation of fighting." She showed the small but able camera off proudly, and Sakura could really do nothing but acknowledge it with as much enthusiasm she could muster.

"Isn't it great?" Tomoyo announce with renewed excitement. "Just think of all the new images and all the new moments I can add to my collection! I-"

"Look out!"

Tomoyo was quickly cut off in her excitement as Syaoran had suddenly revived enough to push her and Sakura apart, before crouching to the ground just as a dark object lashed out, just passing between them and brushing his shoulder. He grimaced as the chain nicked his skin. Apparently drawn out to a limit, it quickly recoiled and vanished silently back into the darkness, whence it came.

With a quick glance to either side, he asked them, "Are you two alright?" He lifted his sword and kept his eyes glued to the darkness. There was no telling what might come yet.

"Yeah." Sakura said wearily. She glanced over and Tomoyo nodded weakly.

"Yeah… but… my camera." She looked to the ground where her camera had crashed down and gazed silently at the broken pieces. Life wasn't fair.

"Just be glad… that it's not you."

"Still…"

"Get back!" Syaoran cried out. "This isn't over. That was just the first-"

He stopped short as another strike emerged from the darkness. This time however, he was prepared for it. With what strength he had, he parried the blow and it had little choice but to return to its owner.

"I don't know who you are… but face me! Or are you a coward, like the ones before?"

"Oh? So you have met the others… at least some." He paused and redirected his words toward Sakura. "We meet again, card mistress."

Startled, Syaoran cast a look in Sakura's direction, but she was no surer of the low voice than he.

"Again?" Sakura asked confused. "I don't even know who you are… let alone have memory of meeting you."

"Heh." He laughed in a slightly lighter voice. "I suppose not. You would have remembered… and still bore the marks to enable you never to forget, had I not been so rudely interrupted."

"That doesn't help me any… I still haven't a clue." She exhaled a pent up breath and then smiled. "Perhaps… perhaps if I shed a little 'light' on this subject… I'll understand better."

At her mention of light, the entire area was cleansed of shadows and the figure revealed. However, even with the light, his entire body remained completely shrouded by the thick cloth robed about his body. But aside from that, his body was huge. Well, maybe not by height, for he stood level with Syaoran, but otherwise. His shoulders were massive, extending out much farther than should be physically possible. And his forearms that were pressed against the cloth stood out as well. There was no question that his strength was monstrous.

"Perhaps not… right?" He smiled, since it was only his lower face that was visible, that was the most they could see. "I suggest that you let the darkness reclaim you. It will make things easier."

"And why would we want to do that for you?" Syaoran spat with venom.

"It wasn't I who was to benefit. It was you." He shrugged. "But if you do not wish for aid, then you don't deserve it." He started laughing. "Then at least advert your eyes. For I don't like to further weaken already weakened prey. No? Very well then."

Without so much as a response from the three facing him, he slid his hands out from the cloth and grasped the material in bunches high on his chest. Then in a slight move down, the material started ripping at his shoulders as something began to cut through. Not feeling the least bit restricted, he pulled down swiftly, blinding them with the reflection.

Too late, Sakura lessened the light and had it repositioned above them, but not before they were thoroughly blinded by the glare. With concern she recoiled and yet could do nothing about her eyes, for which still held the daze of the moment. Despite the doubt of the possibility, she only hoped that the others faired better.

Smiling to himself, the hunter ripped completely free of the now binding ruin of cloth that hugged his body. Free of that burden at last, he let his form out for display. Were there one to see it.

However, the spots that had claimed her eyes this time did not keep her long. Unlike before, the damage was less and after a few more blinks she could see moderately enough to know what was happening. The first image to appear to her was that of the new hunter.

As she took in what she saw, she realized that her initial assumptions inaccurate. Instead of having the massive features she had thought existed before, it wasn't due to physical enhancements at all. It was only the arsenal of his command.

In way of clothes, he merely had a black fabric that adorned his muscular bulk. While he did not look as strong as he had first appeared, it was apparent from his unrestricted clothing that while he was indeed strong; he most likely relied on an agile stance. That aside, nothing was more impressive, nor intimidating, than that of his weapons. On each shoulder there was fixed an artistically shaped blade that had been what reflected the light from before. Then, attached to each arm from the base of the blades down, was a channel of metal that tapered off at his wrists. Though, until he used whatever he used before, it was unlikely that she'd figure it out.

What was left after that wasn't much. Aside from his battered facial features and short inch-high hair, he looked relatively normal. Except his eyes. His eyes held a cold and calculating stare that was more fitting of disgruntled military personnel than that of a common citizen.

To stall for time, she had to ask him. "Who are you?" It was her hope that he would waste as much time for talk as Faski had… though she didn't keep the hope high. It was a good thing.

For his response he merely grinned and said proudly, "Ka-sari. I don't suppose you'd care to guess why?"

"Not really." Admitted Sakura truthfully.

"Then I won't impress upon you." He smiled smugly, then raised his hand, beckoning them forward. "Come… let's dance."

In a move that defied the tracking capabilities of the human eye, he released a dual chain attack that Sakura was just barely able to deflect with her shield. Not without my permission, thought Sakura as she lowered the shield. "Now! Syaoran!"

"I'm on it."

Sakura watched on with silent appreciation as Syaoran drew his sword and went off to strike the hunter while there was an opening. Though running low on his energy reserves, he still pushed this hard. She could only hope that she could as well… for she well knew that if she stopped…

Trying not to be absorbed back into useless thoughts, she turned her attentions back to the battle at hand. Just before Syaoran had covered the distance to the hunter, the chains returned to one of three channels on each hand. So that was their secret. A delivery system for those chains. At once, at the completion of the retraction, there was a shift and the blades of the shoulders slid to his forearms. With a subtle grunt that proved opposite of Syaoran's savage war cry, he managed to cross the blades just in time to block the sword, creating a waterfall of sparks as metal clashed against metal.

With the temporary advantage over Syaoran's blade, he threw his arms up, sending Syaoran's momentum in the backwards direction. Just as he fumbled to recover, Ka-sari leveled an arm with Syaoran's gut, and Syaoran just managed to avoid a fatal injury as a metal spike shot from the third channel of the now-apparent three method delivery system, and narrowly avoided his abdomen.

It was close… much too close.

* * *

Syaoran ran a hand to his side as the javelin-size missile passed by. Though try his best… it had hit after all. As he took his eyes off his opponent for just a moment, he looked at his now blood-covered hand. And to think that was just from a scratch. 

What were the true natures of these hunters, he still wanted to know. Each one they had met so far had been completely unique. However, so far all three had a very similar trait. They could do amazing things.

As he blocked a blow of a blade, and parried the whip of a chain, he could only shudder at the thought of the power that may still have gone unused. Their full potential could be immense when unleashed at once. Hunters… thieves… whatever they were to be called and by who, they were warriors of an ancient power not to be trifled with. But that couldn't stop him. Though he wanted nothing more than to be able to collapse and fall, his will would carry him through. Sakura was their target after all… her life was forfeit. It all came down to one thing: he had to challenge the dream.

When he had first heard of the dream from Touya, he doubted its underlying truth. It couldn't be… she couldn't die. He also agreed with her brother. Fate wasn't carved in stone. They were going to do everything and then some. Above all else, he would personally do everything in his might to keep her from Tomoeda. If everything was to take place at that accursed shrine, then he'd do whatever necessary to ensure that she never go there. This he swore.

With renewed strength, Syaoran ran at the hunter again and again. With each connection, he felt as though his blade gained more ground. So if that was truly the case… he'd sacrifice what little strength he had left just to get the edge. He summoned his courage, then picked what he thought to be the right spell.

Using wording similar to Sakura's, Syaoran unleashed the full, unrelenting power of the wind in hopes of wounding the enemy. Instead, Ka-sari simply raised his blades and blocked the attack as though it were nothing more than a mere breeze. With rekindled rage, Syaoran attacked at full throttle… it was but a moment, but perhaps the attack left a shred of an opening.

He was denied.

* * *

As the battle between Syaoran and the latest hunter escalated, Sakura started to become increasingly concerned for the well-being of her cousin. While Tomoyo had been given some details before, she was totally in the dark when it came to the horrible truth that had reared its ugly head the few hours afterwards. Tomoyo now, was the only one who didn't know. Because of that, she didn't seem to realize exactly how serious the rest of them fought. 

However, that right now wasn't the important part. Getting her to safety was her priority. Going to a nearby fire escape, Sakura seated her among an empty dumpster and a handful of spent garbage cans. It wasn't the best solution she had to admit… but it would work.

With a great sense of reluctance, Tomoyo had to accept. "Though… I still have more resources with me to help out. I could turn the tide of battle to our favor."

Touched by the offer, Sakura drew Tomoyo into a deep embrace.

"It's not like I'll be gone long." She passed in a comforting voice. "Plus… I have a plan… I think. Regardless, I'm alright now. And don't forget, I know you have more defensive tricks. But that's why they're for defense." Before she left, Sakura kissed her cousin on the forehead in an echo of what she had done before. The words said, she turned and left her, but she felt better. With Tomoyo back at her side, Sakura felt her old confidence return… and it made her happy.

Afterward… when she was closer to Syaoran to help, she suddenly felt the same confidence fall flat. She knew she had a plan, but to put one step together with the next was the hard part. Then it dawned on her that that part of it was always the hardest.

"Syaoran!" she screamed as another attack nearly caught him unaware. From under the blades he fought his face scanned the horizon to meet hers. It was clear that there was nothing he could do at this point. As of now… everything was up to her.

Without pause, she decided on what needed to be done. In fact, though it would be difficult… as well as risky, it might be their only chance. She had to try.

"SYAORAN! ROLL!"

* * *

Syaoran was vaguely aware of his name called in the distance. Though he was both tired and already pressed against the pavement at the mercy of the hunter's relentless attacks, he took the second to avert her eyes long enough to know that she was alright. However, he didn't see Tomoyo with her, and wondered briefly about it before deciding that Sakura must haven't hidden her away due to a conclusion. She had formed a plan. 

When next he heard his name, he didn't even think to heed the command that followed. He trusted her. He would follow it even if it seemed unreasonable.

In one dishonorable move, he kicked the hunter squarely between his legs. In the brief moment that followed, Syaoran got the reprieve he had been searching for. With that opening he rolled to the side with every vestige of his resolve. And rolled right into a cylinder of wind that not only removed him from the danger, but deposited him next to Sakura. It was not a graceful landing.

When he managed to recover, he immediately turned his attention back to the hunter he had left. Though he wasn't certain what Sakura's intentions, he hoped they paid off. He wasn't disappointed.

The hunter thrashed wildly against the bands of wind that restrained him, but what's more, was shrouded heavily in a deep mist. It was a sight that pleased Syaoran to no end. Mist ate metals more than anything else, and as it was… this hunter's entire worth rested upon the weapons he wielded. Through the scattered mists that wreaked their havoc, Syaoran could already see the effect.

Of the hunter's blades, both were nearly eaten away entirely. His chains were gone completely, and his delivery system was dissolving away. As well, his clothing was also disintegrating in places, and even his skin was suffering injury. If this went on for longer, it would probably amount to the most grotesque début in this card's history. Unfortunately for them, it would not.

At a moment of leave in the wind restraining one of his arms, he broke free. With precision and accuracy, he leveled the arm in their direction and fired out a severely dissolved spike. Unable to do anything in time, he watch helplessly as it caught Sakura unaware in the side, breaking her concentration.

As she fumbled with injury, her captive was released, but in a state in where most of his metal has either dissolved already or was still on the decline. Disregarding him as a threat, he crawled over to where Sakura had fallen. "Sakura!"

She stirred... and raised herself on an elbow.

"I'm alright. I think." She said uncertain if it were true. She got back to her knees and continued to hold her side. "I think… I think that it's nothing major." To confirm it she lifted her hand for a closer look. "Yeah. It's just a scratch."

"Syaoran, don't worry about me," she said quickly. "Go now… while he's defenseless… while we can win."

"But…" He didn't like the thought, but he knew she was right. With a groan he went to get up, but his array of damage slowed his progress.

Suddenly a low chuckle emanated from the hunter. "Defenseless?" he quipped. "I'm afraid that that time has come and gone."

With renewed expressions of horror, Sakura and Syaoran watched with disbelief as his words rang true. Through whatever means of magic, all erosion of the metal had stopped, and as impossible as it seemed, started to regenerate before their eyes. In a matter of seconds, the only damage apparent was in the wounds and torn clothing.

"Surprised?" He smiled. "Well… not yet."

Without another sound, his chains whipped out and Syaoran was dimly aware of Sakura's scream, and then his world went black.

* * *

"Well… that was disappointing. To think that I expected more of the two of you." He smiled at Syaoran's limp form, and then shifted his gaze back to Sakura. "Don't you think so?" 

Sakura said nothing. Every fiber in her body burned from layered pain that echoed through even her bones. What's more, she couldn't move.

"Do you like it?" he asked serenely. "After all the trouble you've caused me, I thought the best way to stop your rampage was just to stop you. I hope you don't mind the discomfort."

Sakura tried to respond, but as she was now, couldn't think of anything to say. After she had watched Syaoran get knocked cold, she was caught unaware by the complexity of his ability to control the chains. As of now, she hung by her arms from between the fire escapes that adorned the two buildings behind her. The chains were, even now, wrapped thoroughly around her legs, waist, chest, arms and neck… as she was held a meter or two from the ground in this perverted mockery of a crucifix.

"You realize of course, that I could kill you at anytime. You are mine to control now." He sneered.

The pressure exerted on her chest in this position was agonizing, but even so, she managed to push words from her throat. "Then… why… don't… you?"

"What? And finish you before the others earn their turn?" he laughed. "That wouldn't be so nice."

"The… others… would… not… be… as… merciful."

"That's true… However…"

* * *

Tomoyo's heart was griped with more pain than she could bear. To watch her poor Sakura like this. And even more… there was her Syaoran in plain view as she talked with a madman. Even now… raw conflicts of emotion passed over Sakura's contorted face. Tomoyo could only imagine the horrible things he was telling her. 

She couldn't hide like this anymore. Though it was likely to be suicide… She had to do something.

_I'm coming… Sakura!

* * *

_

Sakura wasn't sure of anything she had just heard, other than the concrete proof of the hunters' madness. She was still trying to come to terms with a lot of things. Things just didn't make sense.

Then she felt her heart stop. It hadn't exactly, but from what she saw… she wouldn't be surprised if it had. Tomoyo was out in plain sight, moving towards Syaoran with looked to be the smelling salts in her hand. Something else seemed to be in her hand as well.

As if he felt the change in her heart through his chains, Ka-sari smiled. "There's another player about… isn't there? Even your eyes have betrayed her this day. Very well, run to her… save her… if you can." With that, his chains loosed themselves and she fell to the ground.

However, to think that she could do anything about the situation was just sick. All the hunters were. But she had to try.

Tomoyo had just bent over Syaoran when Ka-sari spoke again with amusement. "Whoops. Time's up. And that… that makes her fair game as well."

"TOMOYO, RUN!"

Tomoyo looked up just as the hunter had spun around and rounded on her. Dropping whatever she had in her hand, she turned to flee, but not before he had already whipped out his chains. With little thought, she closed her eyes and yelled fervently into the night one word: eyes.

Knowing exactly what she meant, Sakura clamped her eyes shut just as a bright flash that even showed through her eyelids, when off in the immediate area. There was a sharp cry and then a patter of sneakers leading off into the distance toward the National Garden. She had managed to get away.

Opening her eyes, she went to finish the blinded hunter when she saw that he had already started after her. There was nothing she could do to stop him. He was just about to pass Syaoran when he stopped. Syaoran had him by the leg.

"So that's how it is?" he asked Syaoran with feigned interest.

"Yeah… that's how it is." Syaoran said with a smile. Even though on the ground, and despite his injuries, he held on with his sword arm.

"So be it." With a spin and a sharp kick to Syaoran's shoulder, there was a sick crack, a howl of pained rage, and then a satisfied smile as Syaoran's hand released. The hunter continued to smile and dropped a blade to his forearm. "You fought well… and even continued to try your hardest. For that, and your relentlessness, you earned your rest." He raised his blade arm and readied it for the final strike. "Farewell."

Suddenly, a sharp noise and with an ionization of the air, his blade was shattered. Amused by this, he turned to face Sakura who was still on the ground where she had fallen, but up on her hands and knees… one hand outstretched toward him. She was panting hard, but still managed, "I just remembered…"

"So you have."

Just then, a scream rang out in the distance, followed by a swift silence as it was cut off abruptly. It was in the direction of the gardens. Tomoyo.

"Heh…" the hunter said with a smirk. "Such is the way of the world…" He turned to Sakura and cast her a dark glance and a message of foreboding. "And thus the penalty persists…"

"For what?"

"…For challenging fate."

* * *

A/C (9/16/05): Whew... another chapter down. Hope people are still enjoying this.  



	23. Harbinger

Chapter 23: **Harbinger**

Caught in the moment, yet still torn by the thoughts of Tomoyo, Sakura still had to voice her concern to this statement bestowed upon her. "What do you mean?"

With a smile, Ka-sari stepped backwards to the wall, and into the shadows. "Heh…" He shook his head slowly. "Think about it." There was a brief whirl of chains and blades, and then he was gone… disappeared into the night.

Still confused, she quickly put it out from her mind. "Syaoran!" She rushed over to where Syaoran lay twitching in the street filth. "Syaoran…" With a passion driven tenderness, she carefully moved him to the building's edge and leaned him there. "How bad is it?" she asked with concern as she checked his arm and shoulder. It seemed that the question answered without words. Just under the skin she could already tell. His shoulder was broken not once… but in what looked to be three different places.

"I… I… don't think I can fight." He gasped past the pain. "Forgive me… Sakura."

"No… no…" she said comfortingly. "You did what you could." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry."

"'s not your fault." His voice was growing softer. "You should go. She needs you now."

"I can't just leave you."

"I don't think they'd bother with me… I'm already broken." He fought the unconsciousness which wished to claim him to the point that tremors soon racked his body. "I'll be ok. Just… just save her… you need to."

She nodded. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving him, but knew that even now, Tomoyo could be in a worse fate. Gathering her composure, she nodded again in confirmation. "Then stay well." She kissed him gently and he closed his eyes. She knew that he would not open them again.

Resigned to this deadly game of cat and mouse, she made him comfortable and a silent promise that she'd return to his side. Now however, she had something else to do. She had to bring her cousin back.

* * *

After dressing some of her more serious wounds with temporary bandages, Sakura ran as fast as her legs would carry her through the gardens. She knew that it was pointless to run on the path, so she took a side route that would take her to the Shinjuku Gyoen. For some reason, her instincts told her that that's where she'd be. 

While the majority of the trip was uneventful, Sakura did not let her guard waver in the slightest. There was no telling what could possibly await her in the brush. However, as she pushed past the last branches between her and her destination, nothing could have guarded her heart for this.

She recognized the hunter instantly. In her dream… it was the very hunter who had decided her fate from the beginning. The hunter's leader.

In the pale light offered by the Garden's few available lights, she could discern the details that had eluded her in her dream. He was big… big as in muscle. There was no lie in this. Unlike the deception she had in Ka-sari's original presentation, this time there were no such obscurities. Also, he was tall. Probably taller than her brother, but bodily proportional. And very intimidating.

From what she could see he had no other distinguishing marks apart from an unsightly scar that traveled from his jaw line, down his neck, and what looked to be across his chest. She assumed this because he was heavily equipped with battle armor that ran across his shoulders and parts of his chest which was connected with leather straps. His gloves were not those of gauntlets, nor were they alike. On his left hand there was an open-fingered leather half-glove, while his right was completely concealed with a full glove as black as midnight. On his right forearm was something of resemblance to that of a crossbow, but smaller, and on his back was a warrior's blade. His face was old… she could tell that he must be ancient, but had a strange sense of youth that was wronged by the beard that grew thick, save where the scar ran. Like the others, his eyes were cold.

However, whether this was impressive or not, that was not what struck her heart. What struck her heart was the one in his arms…

Like that of a rag doll, Tomoyo hung limply. Her head rested on the hunter's shoulder while his hand supported her chin. The other arm was wrapped around her waist to prevent her unconscious form from sliding from his grasp. Apparently satisfied with Sakura's expression, the hunter beamed with evil pride. Just the fact that he had her was enough to spur her fury.

"YOU!" She said with a cry of recognition. "Hunter's leader… release her."

"Hmmm?" he mused curiously. "I admit that your foresight is truly remarkable, considering we've never met before." Then he laughed to himself and shook his head. "Never mind that… it's just a trick of your trade… prodigy. Clow's magic… you reek of it in your entirety."

Sakura's face darkened from the remark, and she could not just let it go.

"Not surprising…" she mentioned, trying to sound casually amused. "We share blood after all. Considering I'm a descendent of his." She clenched her teeth. "Besides… it's my magic now."

"So it is." He stated equally casual, and then paused to look her over. "I know that of now your blood rages… but you want a fight that I cannot give." Smiling to himself, he turned slightly and called out behind him. "Hiru, tend to this… child… as I secure the lure. See that she doesn't leave until I bring her the terms of our conditions."

"Of course."

The leader stepped back and another hunter took his place. The new one gave somewhat of a graceful bow before he stepped into the light. Behind him, his leader disappeared into the night… taking Tomoyo with him.

Sakura grimaced. Though she was just there... and just within her reach, she could do nothing. She failed her. All that she could do now was fight for her honor.

Before she would step forward, she watched as he ran his eyes over her. It was like a viper sizing up its prey. It was un-nerving. When he finished, he smiled.

"For one whom holds great power you are not who I thought you would be. You are quite beautiful."

Sakura nodded with a tense smile. "You aren't so bad yourself."

It wasn't a lie. Though this new and final hunter was indeed her foe, she could not deny the truth. He was slightly taller than her with a build of a typical athletic male, but held a dignified posture and flair. His hair was long, possibly as long as hers or longer, and jet black. But unlike the others, who carried rugged and worn faces with cruel eyes… his were of soft features and eyes that carried a noble pride. Like the others, he was dressed in dark clothing, but his were almost princely. They were of a moderate strength, probably something akin to a lesser leather, but neatly fashioned. About his shoulders was that of a black cloak that in the light it flittered with almost purplish hues. There was just something about it that spoke of elegance. However, what did concern Sakura was the fact that he carried nothing. With no visible weapon, the situation was even less comforting… for when an attack came, it would be unknown.

With a nod of his head he acknowledged her remark and then let his smile fade. "It is a pity then… that I should fight you." He let his words hang in the air as his dark eyes darkened. "But that is also our fate. So let us begin."

"Right…"

Sakura considered her options. Was she to attack first? But how… and with what? Or was she supposed to wait? Wait for what though… for every passing second was another wasted if she wanted her cousin back.

Finally, there was a response. "If you will not be going…" spoke her enemy. "Then I shall."

Sakura watched as he slid his right hand into view and raised it into the air. That was far enough. If it was his hand she should be watching, then it was his hand she would remove. At her command, the star key transformed into the sword and she went for blood. But it was not to be.

As Sakura followed a downward arc, Hiru flicked his hand and emitted a purplish-black energy flare. Unable to believe what she was seeing, whatever he did enabled him to not only slow her strike, but let him grab it. In that moment of grim truth, she felt like she'd been struck by lightning.

Stunned by the sudden onslaught of feeling, Sakura fell to the ground, too weak to even stand. As she was, she was only dimly aware of a ghostly after-image of herself and the sword floating towards the hunter. When it had arrived, the image of herself was pulled into his very being as he grasped the image of the sword, which in turn flared to life and began to fill with energies from the nether. When she saw it again, it had become black as night… with a hint of purple. But no matter the color, it was a sword.

"Intriguing…" he stated amused. "Show me more."

"What?"

"I said… DEFEND YOURSELF!"

Sakura screamed as she just barely managed to defend herself from the attack. However, as she spun around, he was there as well, he though he had always been there. Unable to dodge this time… she yelled out before it was too late.

"Shield!"

Even though she had said it later than she would have liked, shield was as reliable as it ever had been. Without so much an effort it not only stopped his blade, but forced him to backpedal. But… it did not seem to have the desired effect, because he was smiling.

Despite the absence of a shock this time, Sakura was suddenly stricken as though there had been one. Not sure why, it took her a moment before she realized that he had his hand outstretched…he was touching the shield. It was at that instant that she noticed the tattoo that graced the back of his hand. It must be the source of his ability… because at that moment, it was glowing.

Recovered from the surge, Sakura watched helplessly as the after-image of her and shield went to him, and it was at this point that she dimly noted that he was a sorcerer… a true sorcerer. That was why he didn't have any weapon… he was the weapon. It was as Spinel had told her about their clan, when he mentioned that the Zeneiya largely relied on their skills in absorbing the magical ability from others. It was the underlying reason for why they pursued her… why they were after the cards to begin with. It was with the same reason in mind when they stole the artifacts before. They just wanted to increase their own abilities. She blinked several times as she mulled it over. That's the reason Hiru was with the leader…

Taking her eyes away from her thoughts, she turned them back to the hunter as he absorbed her image and formed his own black shield with the outline and the knowledge absorbed into his. When she thought about it, that was the only conclusion that made sense. Why steal a power when you could not wield it due to your ignorance? He needed the essence behind it. Whenever he took a power, he took the essence too. This would make things much harder… but that didn't mean she could just give up.

"Excellent…"

Drawn to his words, Sakura looked up to find him examining his own shield. Maybe now was her chance. He may have a similar power… but did it match up to hers in comparison? It was a test that was worth the price of failure.

"SHOT!"

With a ferocious intensity built on emotion, the volume of the shot produced was one of the biggest. In the fraction of a second that in took for it to reach him, she had downgraded her hopes for at least a scratch, if it didn't blow the thing apart completely. When it struck though, the entire area around the black dome shattered and broke the floor of the enclosure in which they now fought. However, when the light subsided, Hiru was looking barely impressed. The entirety of his shield seemed the epitome of perfection.

"Oh? I bet that's useful." And with that thought, both his black sword and shield dissipated.

Sakura knew it might be foolish, but she had to try something, so she continued to have the shots fired. Most missed due to her inability to specify striking locations due to her exhaustion and the few that came closer to her intended targets hit his shield and were deflected… without any harm done to her. For whatever reason though, he did not retaliate. Rather, it was like he was watching. Watching what though?

Suddenly and unexpectedly, she got her answer. With a speed that she thought only a fluke before, he reached up and caught a shot with his hand. Although the shot was nothing solid, using whatever his energy was, he adapted instantaneously… and in the moment that followed, the shot was gone. Absorbed.

Sakura braced herself for the shock to come… and the weakness. But it did not. Apparently, if the hunter's own expression was anything to go on, he was as surprised as she.

"Well then… that just told me a few things about you." He said in a curious tone.

"What do you mean?" Sakura asked this curiously, not just to humor him, but because she really did want the answer.

"That you are inexperienced." Instead of waiting for a response he kept going. "As I'm sure you've already figured out… I take the essence of your knowledge of the ability as well. And what I've learned about this power is the same as what I've taken from you. Nothing. You had nothing to give… because you know nothing about it." He scrutinized her dubious expression with something of disgust. "Such a great power… this un-appreciated… then let me show you… its true potential."

"Shot."

Words could not explain what happened in Sakura's mind as she saw certain annihilation spontaneously fuse to the fibers of existence as the magic converged. She knew at the moment the words left his mouth… she was dealing with a magical monster. Only that of her shield could possibly survive in the onslaught that was loosed upon her, knowing full well that were she outside, she'd be dead already. Killed by a twisted perversion of her own magic. A black death… with a purple tint.

As the pressure created due to the rapidly repeating strikes increased, Sakura went to her knees… collapsed by the weight of her own shield.

"It's a terrible price to pay, isn't it? Death by your own spells… If only you knew more. But that is not the case."

Sakura shuddered with his words, just as she was jostled by every impact through the now weakening shield. She knew it shouldn't be possible, for the shield has no limitations… but there was a horrible truth amounting. She was weak. There was no getting past that point now. She had tried all night against many foes, only to face what could be her greatest one yet… all alone.

Faced with the terrible reality of her situation, she bowed her head as she clutched the ground desperately. If only she could hold out… maybe then a solution would come. But she knew in her heart this was not to be. Then a sharp noise came about to seal her fate. The shield was cracking. In the brief moment that was probably amount to her last, she thought of her brother. Touya said that if certain steps were taken, a dream could be changed. With a thought of her current situation, and the one in the dream, she only could think one thing: Was the dream wrong?

"This is it." Hiru beamed as the many continuous shots ceased. "Prepare yourself for the end… Card Mistress." He closed his eyes, clearly preparing the way of the final blow. "Strike without mercy…" he stretched out his arm to point toward Sakura, "Annihilator!"

* * *

Moments before the final strike, the many blasts had stopped, but by then the shield was already beyond broken… with whatever integrity remaining only holding its shape. It was then, in the seconds before what would be her last, where she found strength. If she were going to die, then she'd do it with her eyes open.

* * *

As the energy released its might into a final beam, it streaked toward Sakura without remorse. With the amount of power behind it, there was no way in which it would destroy her. When it hit, she would die. 

But she would not tonight. Mere centimeters before the massive death sentence hit, the beam did the impossible, and veered completely away. For the moment, she thought she might be saved… until it dawned on her that her savior was not whom she thought. It was worse.

* * *

"Hiru… enough." 

Sakura heard the growl and knew it at once to be the voice of their leader. Above the palm of his outstretched arm, was the energy that until redirected, was bound for her heart. With some incredible dominance over the energy itself, he not only had redirected it, but shaped it into a harmless sphere that hung motionless in the air, until at the close of his fist, the energy sphere shrunk past the point of nothingness. As though not satisfied, he looked at Sakura's broken shield with renewed interest. A shield that upon the flicking sweep of his hand, blew apart as dust before blowing away.

"My apologies card holder. Hiru seems to have a short attention span. So when I told him to prevent you from leaving he naturally assumed your funeral in order." He chuckled and then brandished a piece of paper between his fingers. With a sharp downward throw it spiraled through the air and stuck in the ground before her.

"Tomorrow. Specifics included." He frowned. "Don't disappoint me." With an evil glare, he passed her position and turned toward his subordinate who was still looking longingly at Sakura in a way that didn't reflect affection. "Come Hiru. Let us leave this place."

"Yes… leader."

"Wait."

He paused as Sakura grabbed his ankle, as Syaoran had done with the other hunter. However, he was more curious than anything else and paused. With some amusement for the situation he delighted in seeing her in such dire straits.

"When next we meet… you'll regret this. For I swear… I swear I will be stronger than you could imagine."

He laughed heartily at Sakura's false bravado and then pulled away as though her grasp was nothing at all. Then he continued to walk past her. When he had reached the darkness he turned back. "No… when next we meet… you'll forget how to breathe. This I swear."

Then with a sharp jerk of his cape, he summoned upon the power and just like his leader, disappeared. Leaving Sakura to the darkness. To her, it seemed anymore that she was always in the darkness.

* * *

As Sakura trudged back to where Syaoran lay, conflicting emotions racked her being. She had yet to open the paper in her hand, but she had a feeling that she already knew what it said. All was naught… in the end. 

She stifled a tear. Tomoyo… she had found her, or rather, Tomoyo had found her. But it was as if all the pieces were assembled. She had thought that it just might end reasonably. But now… now Tomoyo was gone. Just like that.

Why? Why did this have to happen? It wasn't fair. But still… it was her fault. Somehow… somehow… she had to get her back.

* * *

After that, the night went in a blur that she only just remembered. 

When she returned to where Syaoran lay, she found everyone whom she had lost to the underground. Each looked considerably worse for wear, but not as bad off as Syaoran, whom was being tended to at her arrival. From there she went on to explain the events as they unfolded, to the best of her knowledge.

Despite all the hardships and the terror that she faced, she still knew that the night would not end. It would not. And even then, they left that forsaken place… but not the memories… the memories would forever follow.

When they got home, it was not the home she remembered… it was more akin to a prison of the mind.

* * *

Sometime in the morning, Sakura woke to a light rap on her door. She was surprised at first, because she woke, and second that it was morning already. It was odd… she didn't even remember falling asleep. 

As she pushed her hands in a stretch across the desk she had fallen asleep at, the memories which swirled around her throughout her dreams and thoughts dissipated for but a moment, allotting her a second of peace. It was not a peace that would last long… as the pains came back with a sudden vengeance as the various parts of her torn body protested to the extreme before going numb at the exertion. Other pains were soon to follow, and Sakura looked longingly at the bathtub in the other room, knowing that it was unlikely to ever indulge in such luxury again. However, that didn't mean she couldn't placate a few urges. With an additional groan, she lifted herself from the desk, but not before knocking a pile of papers over and uttering several cursed remarks. Deciding that she'd attend it later, she left the room in search of whoever had woken her… as well as something to ease her hunger.

When she closed the door behind her, the discarded pile blew about with inanimate excitement. When they had settled, the topmost paper was nearly indiscernible. Only two words visible to the eye: Tomoeda and shrine.

* * *

Once past the door, Sakura felt like she had walked into an emergency ward. Everyone was either bandaged or bruised in someway, shape, or form. Even Yukito bore some marks, despite the fact that he was just a disguise and actually never took part in the fight, due to Yue's wounds that were so bad that even after the transformation they still shone through. Then there was Kero… who had curled up on the floor since he couldn't transform due to a lack of wings… and Spinel who actually managed it, looked like an abused cat. And even Nakuru… though not present still bore the wounds suffered from the days before, though at this point, she was livelier and was giving the care… instead of receiving. 

Magical powers aside, the humans caught in this mess were just as bad if not worse. Eriol killed. Touya and herself, injured a multitude of times over. Tomoyo kidnapped… the hunter told her that she would live… but there was hardly any certainty in that. And Syaoran… a Syaoran broken and battered to such a state it made her heart weaken. He was too bad to stay here, and he had to be admitted right away. What with all the injured flowing in because of the hunters, they took him with little questions. In a comparison to the others coming in, he was probably not the worst they'd seen.

With a tired sigh she followed Touya to the kitchen where he had assembled what could be called a suitable breakfast. He put a knowing hand on her shoulder and helped her into a seat and in silence, they ate their meal. It was quite good in all actuality… but given her grief, her mind would not allow her to enjoy it. Finished, she murmured a nearly inaudible word of thanks, and returned to her room. Despite everything that had happened, she still had a lot to consider.

* * *

It was several hours later when her door opened again. Of all the hours spent in her room, none seemed to resolve anything. It seemed the most she could do was think of where she had gone wrong and how everything had fallen apart. Most of all she thought about Tomoyo. She wondered if she was alright. 

Without a word, she went back to the kitchen and got some things to eat and drink, and calmly returned to her room without speaking. It was her thought that just one word might betray her thoughts, and that wasn't something that the rest needed to hear. As she handled the hunter's note, she thought about its words and its simply existence that the others knew nothing about. To her, it wasn't worth the conflict and the emotions it would bring upon mention. That is why she supposed that was… and the biggest reason for never speaking of it… to anyone.

Sakura pounded the desk once with her clenched fist. She couldn't take it anymore. With a resigned sigh she got up and started to cross the room when a cold breeze startled her. With a nervous laugh and a bewildered look she went to her window. It was open. She started to laugh a little more on the edge of insanity than not. Had she been so out of it to not even remember whether or not she had opened her own window? She shook her head sadly… what a state she had fallen into. With a newly found determination she went to her armoire and started to pull out articles of clothing.

She needed to go somewhere… and by the magic flowing through her veins she would. To calm her spirit, she had to. It was the only way.

* * *

Several minutes later, Sakura nodded to the mirror with a satisfied look. After another glance she sighed. It was definitely the right kind of casual she was looking for. 

Sneakers, jeans, a light top shirt that was light and airy, and a nice hooded fleece for later, since the nights had been colder of late. With another nod of her head she stuck the fleece in a single-strapped carry bag. Then she frowned. The state of her hair was a wreck. She couldn't in good conscience visit Syaoran with it looking that way, even if it did hide some of her bandages with its volume. After another little while of fuss and muss… she threw the now braided mass over her shoulder so it went down her front. For extra effect, she put one of her fluffy scrunchies just before the end to keep it all together.

With a half skip and a trot, Sakura seemed to have sidestepped her current mood for just the moment. She couldn't forget about Tomoyo, but it was her hopes that she could ask Syaoran about the matter. Having that in mind, she stuck the message in her bag with some foreboding. For that matter, she turned to her book shelf and began counting her cards before pulling the SAKURA from her shelves with a clatter. Bewildered by what it might have been, she looked to the side.

Sitting on the floor looking not the worst for wear was a present she had once received from Tomoyo. It was a small crafts box that was covered in mementos and other trinkets from their childhood. Inside it was a single glove that she had been given when she was considered an accomplished "sorceress" by the others. It was something that brought great pride to her.

She was about to open it when just the thought of it made the tears well up. Trying not to leave the room with puffy cheeks, she put it down. It wouldn't be good to look at something with such great sadness when it was something that was supposed to bring great happiness. Her shoulders heaved as she gave a great sigh with hopes of letting such things go. Steeling her nerves, she stowed the box back where it belonged and retrieved the book. After she had it bound with the cards safely inside, she tucked it in her bag. Just in case.

Once she heaved the bag on her shoulder, she marched from her room to the living room in much higher spirits. When she arrived, none of the others shared her enthusiasm. Immediately after announcing her intentions to the rest, they all had equal objections, Touya's being the loudest.

"No. I don't think so." He simplified a minute after his first statement. "Something might happen. It isn't safe by yourself."

"But it's still early afternoon. Twilight is still hours away." She thought quickly. "Fine, I'll take Yukito and Kero."

Kero raised his head off the carpet and looked at her in a peculiar fashion.

"I'll use the illusion card." She said to his unasked question.

Even still, they debate went on for a few minutes before she won out. On her way to the stairs Touya reached out and grabbed her shoulder.

"Just be careful. I don't know what Dad and I would do if anything happened to you." He smiled with as little concern as he could. "Just promise that you'll return right after you're done."

"Of course." She smiled. "I promise."

Touya nodded and just as she started to turn her head she thought she noticed Nakuru staring at her with an almost heart broken expression. As she descended down to the street with Yukito and an illusion covered Kero, she thought of little else. After all… what was that all about?

* * *

Sakura and the others reached the hospital without incident. In fact, many people on the streets tried to ease their personal tensions by remarking on how she and her boyfriend had such a nice dog. Sakura let that go… especially since it was amusing to hear about what kind of dog they thought he was… which she was sure annoyed him greatly. 

That aside, she knelt at Syaoran's bedside with a look that echoed a great love and tenderness that few possess. If one had looked closely enough, they would have actually been able to see the emotions as they conflicted in her face. Finally, after many of moments, she looked down.

"Yukito," she said to the floor quietly. "May I talk to Yue for a moment?"

Yukito looked shocked, since he knew that these days she was almost completely open with him over all details, but acquiesced without question. When he had fully transformed, only then did Sakura lift her head. Like the good friends they had become, Yue and Kero waited patiently.

"Kero… Yue…" she sighed, as though not sure how to say this next part. "I cam here… because I was searching for an answer to which I was seeking. Well… I think I have made my decision."

"Answer?" Kero mulled.

"Decision?" Commented taken aback by the sudden surge of her determination. "What decision?"

Sakura took a breath and then in a firm and determined voice, spoke out on the stance of her decision that could not be overrun by reluctance or discussion.

"We're going to Tomoeda… tonight. And rescue Tomoyo."


	24. When Stars Fall

Chapter 24: **When Stars Fall**

"Tomoyo… she's in Tomoeda?" Kero started.

"How do you know…?" questioned Yue with an equal amount of surprise and shock.

"Because of this."

Sakura threw the hunter's note in their direction and in came to rest on the edge of the bed at a comfortable height both could read from their vantage. The two fell silent as they perceived the short but critical evidence of truth. Kero recoiled with recognition.

"The book… the cards… come alone… shrine… Tomoeda…" He looked up sharply. "This… this is…"

"The dream…" Yue completed in the same tone… one of terror laden awe. "So it hasn't changed. It'll still be the same outcome." His voice hushed at the realization. "No…"

"All the more reason we can't go!"

"Kero…" Sakura started.

"No! Listen to me. You can't go." His voice calmed somewhat. "You mustn't."

Yue straightened. "I agree with Kerberos. You cannot go to Tomoeda, no matter the cost. It is something we all swore upon with agreement."

Sakura smirked. "Was it? It was a long time ago…" She laughed at the fact that it was only two days ago… yet to her it felt like two months… if not longer.

Kero shot her a dark look. "You agreed along side us, Sakura. You came to terms with the situation and agreed that no matter what, you would not fall as a victim because of one of us. You promised because we knew the risks of pursuing them."

Sakura nodded her head in truthful agreement. "I did promise."

"But you still say to do it anyway!" Yue shouted angrily. "We can't agree to madness when we all made the pledge."

"You are right." She said slowly. "You are absolutely right. But so am I." She looked up with tears in her eyes. "We all swore to it… but we didn't… two people were not part of that pledge. And while Syaoran found out about it later from Touya… Tomoyo…"

Yue and Kero suddenly lost all hostility from their eyes and faces, the emotion instead being consumed by one of horror.

Sakura shook her head as the tears fell. "Tomoyo just found us last night. She had nothing to warn her besides the brief message we sent over the VTRM… and that was before the dream ever took place. She didn't know… she never knew…"

Kero put a paw on her shoulder sympathetically, but she just brushed it off. Though she needed the comfort… she wouldn't accept it. She wasn't done talking.

"And so it is… From that moment, I have been expecting to lose one of you." Unable to stand any longer, she sunk down to her knees. "I know that Touya was confident that we could alter fate… but in my heart… in my core, I knew it was impossible. And so I was preparing to lose. For even if I did attempt to save the person held captive, I'd just be betraying them in the end. But Tomoyo doesn't know. She doesn't know."

Sakura looked to the floor as she wiped the tears away. When she looked back up, they were starting anew. "Let me ask you this… If you didn't know, and you were captured as bait… could you die… could you die without knowing why? Or would you die with only one question on your lips? Why?

"That… that sense of betrayal I would never want to have any of my friends bear. It's not just Tomoyo… it's all of you. Even to survive… then I'd die anyway, from the lack of will to live with myself."

Kero looked to the floor wordlessly.

Yue was wordless as well, but went to the window instead.

All three parties were motionless for a long while.

Finally, a thought seemed to tug on his lips. "Then the reason you decided here?" he asked of Sakura.

She smiled faintly, "Actually… I decided at the house. Here I was only looking for confirmation."

"Oh? And what was that?"

Sakura smiled at Kero as he joined at her side. "That Syaoran would do it for me."

"Ah…"

There was another bout of silence, and then Yue gave a nod. "I understand. I will go."

Sakura looked into his warm eyes and couldn't help but feel happy again.

"And of course, I will as well."

She looked to Kero and her worries seemed to evaporate. As they did, she stood and crossed the floor to where the still unconscious Syaoran lay, and kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you." She whispered. Then she took the hunter's note and folded it so it would remain at length, and fastened it to his wrist with her scrunchie.

With an acknowledgement and a word of thanks she addressed both Kero and Yue before casting the illusion over Yue as well. Without another word they walked out of the hospital. However, as they boarded an uninhibited train line for Tomeda, she looked back toward her home.

"I'm sorry… Touya."

* * *

A cool wind blew slowly as Sakura stepped onto a familiar brick-covered ground. It was hours later, and she was alone. It was also dark. Much darker than she would have liked. 

Though a warm night, she shivered. The breeze was as un-relentless as it was cold in contrast to what the nights should be. In her mind she gave a huff. It should be much warmer.

Free from the scrunchie, her now loosely braided hair blew out in untamed strands to her side. As she looked down, it became apparent that it wasn't the only thing untamed. Her shoelace was untied. There was also the matter of her fleece being dragged down by the weight of the SAKURA, since she had ditched her bag a while ago, having no real need for that now. Also, her key necklace was snagging on her hair, which was also annoying.

She couldn't fight like this. With a sigh she first adjusted her fleece by straightening her hood and then pulling up on the shoulder line. While her hands were there, she also undid her necklace and tucked it into her sleeves so it would be out of the way for the moment, though it was still loose. With those things out of the way, she was free to pull her hair from its restricting braids and loosed it all to the side. Next, she rolled up her sleeves to both secure the key necklace in the one, and then to make sure she wasn't lopsided.

Feeling somewhat accomplished, she took a deep breath and looked around. Once she decided that she was good for the moment she patted her pockets and ran her hands down her jeans just to be sure everything was straight and fixed. Then she took a knee as she dealt with the one shoe, making sure the laces were good and tight, before adding a double knot for good measure. Once satisfied, she switched knees and repeated the procedure, before standing. Hoping that everything was right, she took a step forward.

Seemingly satisfied overall, she proceeded ahead.

Sakura took nervous but deliberate steps ahead. As she surveyed the darkness, she could only think of it. Not necessarily the darkness itself… but what was there within it. Just the thought of what lay in store made her step uneasy and depending upon the thought either slowed her or quickened her pace.

It also went by largely unnoticed for what must have been from the beginning, that she was breathing hard. Considering that, she paused but a moment to close her eyes and steel herself for what was to come. She had to stay strong.

Suddenly, a shift in the air caused her to open her eyes. Something had moved. No… something was coming.

"Stay back!"

The movement ceased, and there was an obvious quickening in the darkness. It felt like hunters were up to their normal tricks. With a sideward glance she could have sworn she saw… no, but they were definitely there. An ambush?

A certain reproving thought came to mind and she frowned.

"I came alone… as promised." She glared at the shadows within the darkness dancing about. It was a sickening display of mockery. "So call off your minions!"

There was not obvious change in the darkness, but everything had come to a standstill as a low chuckle permeated the air.

"Minions?" The low voice of their leader asked in a bemused tone. "How hurtful… that you would dare to call my family such." Though he was only meters before her, she could not see him for the life of her. "You have it then?" he demanded. "The book?"

With a sigh she pulled it from the folds of her fleece. She nodded, though it was unlikely he would see. "It's here." She said with regret. "I have fulfilled my obligations…" Some what at least… but he didn't need to know that. "Can I trust that you'd live to yours?"

A deep laugh echoed through the air. He must have enjoyed that bravado. Sakura was quite pleased with it herself.

"You'll only have them fulfilled when the book and its cards are firmly within my grasp, and your weak form… drained of its abilities." He added with malice. "But if it is this… stripling, to whom you refer…" Her heart jumped. "Then there is no harm done… that's permanent."

As he stepped aside, Sakura lost any and all of what was left of rationality. With the sight before her now, there was just no alternative. At least she thought not.

Tomoyo hung unconscious in a way that Sakura had the night before. However… where she had been in the confines of cold metal, Tomoyo was captive of something far more insidious… something that stirred a childhood fear within Sakura's core. Though not entirely sure of her estimate, they appeared to be spirits. Just as the hunter's leader had managed to route and contain Hiru's black energies before into a swirling mass, the same manifest flowed with an incandescent glow that permeated the darkness, as it slithered over her body. It was as if it were feasting on her life-force… what little there remained.

But that was not it. That was far from it. From her head to her now exposed feet there were a multitude of bodily injuries. Lacerations of varying sizes now marred her perfection. Her clothes also had suffered, and now drooped in tatters. Worst of everything… her softness that Sakura had loved even when upset… was gone.

She clenched her fist. Everything was gone. Unforgivable.

"You…" she breathed hard through her teeth in a way that made it sound much more menacing than she actually thought it. "What have you done… you MONSTER!" Her shoulders started shaking with barely contained rage. Then a single tear traced her cheek as she looked on without remorse. "I'll kill you for this."

Without any other reaction to her threat he sighed. It was though he heard something that he wanted to hear. It was as though he was happy.

"Would that you could… but you can't." He said with a tone of mockery, and a silent allusion to the night before. At the pause that followed the sigh he smiled, then slowly spread his arms wide as though he underwent a silent debate.

Finally, he looked up. "Sadly… with such an open hostile remark, I have to add that we have reached a negotiations breakdown." He stated in as casual of a voice he could utter. With a graceful gesture he put his hand to his heart and closed his eyes. "Consider the pleasure mine." Opening his eyes he cast a direction past her, his intentions clear by the lighting from Tomoyo's prison as it graced his face.

"Kill her. Retrieve the book at all costs!"

* * *

As soon as he started his speech, Sakura fell quiet. Even as the rage bubbled in her, even though she was attempting to change the results this time, it was happening. It was as though she was still a puppet who could see her strings but not do anything about them. 

Even before his final words, she felt the colors drain from her face. Had she no say in the matter? Had she no choice at all? What was the point in resisting then?

No matter… she would resign to this fate. Her only option was to rescue Tomoyo. Maybe… just maybe, she could take a few of them with her.

_Heh…_

"Just try it!" she screamed to the area as she whipped the book into the air. Make or break time.

"LIGHT!"

With the intensity of flash point of a strobe light, the ball of light grew out to engulf the night. Though her eyes were clamped shut, she knew that it was the equivalent of one of Tomoyo's flash grenades… but on a grand scale. In her madness she laughed. Deer in the head lights.

"NOW!"

At her command, the light began to recede, and Yue and Kerberos materialized into view as she removed their camouflage. She heard the cursing of the hunters and their leader and knew them to be weakened. It was the perfect opportunity to strike.

She opened her eyes as the darkness resumed so her vision would not falter as the others' had. In the distance she saw their leader barking orders that sounded of that of a different tongue, and saw Kero and Yue engaged with Faski and Shi. They were winning. So she would help.

Sakura had just removed her key from her sleeve when a whish of the air caught her attention. Two wicked blades coming from the darkness. Without another thought, she had her sword in her hand, and swung with her might.

A resounding metallic squeal and a shower of sparks graced the night.

* * *

Faski fought blindly. That accursed girl had blinded him the night before, and he was still not recovered fully. Nor was Shi, who fought beside him with at least several mementos of the battle. They just weren't fresh any longer. But neither were their attackers. 

However… he had little doubt to the others' abilities. They were still fresh. And obviously, from the girl's wounds, she was not.

He smiled.

* * *

Sakura just parried the blades in time when she recognized her attacker. Ka-sari. She would not forgive him… it was because of him that she was here now. Because his actions led to her capture. It… was all… his… FAULT! 

"YOU!" she screamed as she locked blades with him. "I swear… for each of Tomoyo's wounds, I will exact a hundred fold upon you and your family!"

"I'm touched. But how do you expect to do such?" he mused aloud. "You know your skills can't match mine."

"Heh… but I already know one weakness of yours." She raised a hand awkwardly to her blade, due mostly in part to the weight of the book skewing her movements. "Mist… surround and dominate!"

With surprise, he jumped back, but was not followed nor touched by the mist she had summoned. Then he saw why. The mist wasn't to surround him, instead, it surrounded her blade, but didn't touch.

"I see…"

She cocked her head slightly. "Do you? Then see this!"

Sakura swung her sword forward and connected hard with his blades again, though this time, despite the metal's regenerative properties, took a large chunk out as the metal both was softened and cut away. At the ease of this, she redoubled her efforts, striking hard and fast. Soon enough, her efforts paid off, and she was rewarded with an opening.

"This is it!" she cried wildly as she swung her sword downward.

Suddenly… but not altogether un-expectantly, her swing stopped as it collided with something black and purple. Without a second's delay energy from the mist started to flow away. With a start, she kicked off the ground hard and flung herself backwards through the air to land somewhat gracefully further away.

"Heh… You won't get me with that trick again." She glared at Hiru and his mockery of her blade. There was a fury that struck her eyes as she noticed his smug expression. He really pissed her off. Then a sudden movement at her side made her realize that she had dropped her guard. Quickly she pulled the book out to ward off the impending strike.

"Shiel-"

Without warning, an invisible barrier struck her and the book went flying from her hands. As she landed, the mist dissipated and the sword reverted to the key. Helplessly she watched as the book skidded across the stones. Without it, she wasn't strong enough…

As fast as she could manage, Sakura dashed toward the book… but so did Faski, who had apparently managed to break away from the others. Though she flung herself at it… she knew she was too late. He was closer.

Suddenly, a large blast of crystalline shards caught him squarely in the back. Yue flew over and smiled to her. Faski was down. It was unlikely he would rise.

With the way free, she sprung forward and grabbed the book and with a handspring, spiraled a safe distance away. She was just about to reanalyze the situation when Kero yelled out her name. It was a warning. She dropped to her knee and was just able to summon the shield as an energy blast slammed against it. Hiru.

* * *

Prior to Sakura's danger, Yue flew beyond the scene. He had already cleared the way for Sakura and was confident that Kero could hold his own. Besides… he had his own agenda. 

"HUNTER!"

At his startling cry, he loosed a barrage of spikes at the hunter's leader. Unprepared for the sudden assault, he let several curses fly, before seeking shelter. As he did, whatever held Tomoyo prisoner dissipated.

Free from the energy, she fell forward. However, she did not fall far. Yue was there to catch her, and held her tightly as he lowered her gently to the ground.

He was just to see how her condition truly was as a beam of energy thundered overhead. One that was reflected. And just as he turned to see Sakura, Tomoyo opened her eyes.

* * *

As her shield disappeared, Sakura glanced briefly to where Yue had gone. She had heard his shout, and was dimly aware of Tomoyo's prison faltering. When her eyes saw them both ok, a sudden emotion of relief over swept her. They could escape! 

However, she should have kept a better eye upon the battle at hand, for she only just managed to get the shield up again, as Ka-sari appeared. But he was too far away to attack save for his spikes and chains, and those were useless against her shield. Or they should be. That's why she could only watch with an on rush of terror as he whipped his arms down, and his blades, carried upon the ends of each chain, whirled across the battlefield and struck like vipers.

With the squelch that followed, coupled by that of an assortments of cracks, she gaped with horror as she felt her energy leave her. Hiru! But where? All she could see was Ka-sari coming at… then he jumped aside, and Hiru came somersaulting through the air and loosed a highly concentrated shot.

Knowing that her weakened shield would not hold, she sunk to her knee, thrust the book directly in line with the shot, and started to yell. "Shie-"

The words never made it.

Before she could re-summon her only savior, the blast shattered the existing shield, and passed right through the SAKURA and all of the cards, before effortlessly piercing her chest. As fire engulfed the book, it split in half, spewing forth a horrible form of perverted confetti in fiery bits. The magical wail was deafening as the explosion engulfed the entire area in a surge of energy.

* * *

All across the battlefield, actions ceased. 

With scattered looks of awe, horror, and even grim satisfaction, all eyes were now on the scene unfolding.

On the ground, lay Sakura, sputtering for breath as the bits of the ruined cards and their book rained around her. Pain upon pain did nothing to ease her suffering, and even though she did not realize the entirety of the situation, she knew where it led. Even so, she did not weep for herself… for her fate had been decided. Instead, the tears that now soaked her cheeks; they were not for her… but for others. They were there for the cards, her family and her friends, that would be forced into this lonely world without her. It was also for the scores of innocents that may suffer once the hunters finish what it is they set out to do… it was for everything that would change.

Where was it that she went wrong? When? Why after all the hurt and the pain… why…

Syaoran… she would never see him again. Syaoran.

_Syaoran… I'm sorry._

As her eyes began to close, she was dully aware of the warmth that seeped into her back. It was wet warmth… damp. And though it felt so warm, why did she feel so cold?

In the distance… she heard her name… but it felt so far away… so far.

"SAKURA!"

Her name… someone was calling… her name. But what should it matter? When darkness… was the only light… she could see…?

Then, she closed her eyes.

"NOOOOOO!"

* * *

A/C (9/19/05): Sigh... This was one of two chapters I've been wanting to write since before I even started this story in May. Well, one of three if you count the end chapter as one (just because then I'll be done) as well. I hope you'll tell me what you think after this one, since I won't be able to write and submit anything else for at least another week... and I'd really appreciate the feedback. Thanks to those who comment regularly. 


	25. Light Lost

Chapter 25: **Light Lost**

"NOOOOOO!"

Tomoyo's voice tore across the space that separated her and her beloved Sakura. All across the way, the action had halted enough to allow her passage. Though, even if such a path didn't exist, nothing would have kept her from reaching her cousin.

With all caution thrown to the wind, she recklessly pushed her way past Ka-sari and Hiru, who for all intents and purposes seemed unreceptive to the world around them. Like the rest of the hunters, the destruction of their objective had caught them purposeless. But all that didn't matter, it wasn't even considered to Tomoyo as she barreled past.

Once at Sakura's side, she dropped to her knees. All around them were burning pieces of the remnants of the book and cards that seemed for many years the entirety of Sakura's life. It was a cruel fate that had delivered upon them the same judgment… but even in the face of the oblivion, they seemed linked as one.

Yet above all… it was their fading light in the overwhelming darkness, that let Tomoyo see Sakura's. Reality as it was had a cold sense of justice. No… it was cruel.

* * *

From further away, Kero stared in utter disbelief. Though he saw it… he didn't want to admit to it. It was just as they feared. 

"Sakura… no…"

"Impossible…" Yue whispered.

Though every muscle in his body told him to keep moving, he could not look away. It was as though he were frozen… just like everyone else. But in the reality, Yue was heartbroken… again. He had suffered the loss of his creator through a sudden and unexpected death, though he'd since found that Clow had known all along. Now, he was faced with his current master's inevitable death, though they had all known of this well in advance. Despite that truth… he had wished it could be escaped.

Now, all he could do was watch Sakura's final moments from afar. Unable to do otherwise. Not to help or strike at those responsible. It was overwhelming.

* * *

Tomoyo trembled with her cascading feelings as they racked her body with a surge of combative emotions. It was just too much… all of it. She couldn't bear just the sight… let alone the suffering in which Sakura must have felt. 

The light that pierced her chest seemed to have missed her heart, but it was still lethal. The wound that rested dead center of Sakura's chest was horribly obtrusive to the purity that Tomoyo had known. Though she could halt some of the bleeding through compression, it would do nothing for the other side. And even if those could both be stopped, there was nothing to prevent bleeding from within.

In such a hopeless scenario, Tomoyo could think of nothing to do but fling herself upon her and scoop her up in her arms. At least then she could hold her truly for the first and last time. With the gentleness she was famed for, she eased Sakura's head against her bosom and lay the rest of her against her torso and on her lap.

If anything, she'd make her comfortable.

"T-tomoy…o…"

Tomoyo's eyes flew open. "Sa-Sakura…?"

Sakura's eyes searched the darkness, but they never met Tomoyo's. Even if the light were faded, she was still close enough. Then it dawned on her. Sakura could no longer see. Without further delay, she grasped Sakura's hand and gave it a squeeze.

"D-don't… I… I mean, I'm here… Sakura."

Sakura's face seemed to lighten a little, despite having lost most of its color and warmth. Even now, little tremors seemed to emanate from her core. Yet above all else, she managed a smile.

"Y-you… are… ok?" Sakura asked between gasps.

"Of… of course…"

"I'm… glad."

Tomoyo shuddered involuntary. It was a response that echoed Sakura's. Her trembling had increased. So had Tomoyo's tears.

_It can't be… not yet. Sakura!_

"'s…ok… Tomoyo." Sakura said at an almost inaudible level as she sensed her friend's sudden alarm. Against the forces that threatened to tear her away for ever, she struggled to explain everything she could… one last time. "Knew… final… outcome… had… to…"

"No Sakura… no…" Tomoyo said hurriedly as she covered Sakura's mouth with her free hand. "Please… you'll be ok! You just have to rest… conserve your strength… just… JUST DON'T GIVE UP!"

Tomoyo began to sob heavily, too overwhelmed to speak. The tears that streamed down her already moistened face fell like a warm rain on Sakura. It was already too late… and Tomoyo knew that her words were just that. Words.

With the last vestige of her strength, Sakura reached up and gently removed Tomoyo's hand away with trembling fingers, before laying both their hands atop her blood-soaked chest. She smiled, her eyes just half open. With barely parted lips, she pressed out the words she had.

"…'s… ok… to cry… but… strength… re-tain… you… mus-… figh-…" she shuddered again forcing her to fall quiet, but even as the trembling began to wane, so too, did her concentration. "…y-you… Sy—aoran… ev-ery-bo-dy… I-I…" She swallowed once and closed her eyes. With her eyes skewed shut, she breathed her final word.

"l-love…"

And as the word breached her lips, so too did her last breath as it rolled out into the night air. With its finality, her trembling stopped and her hand slid from Tomoyo's as her head lolled back. At long last… her pain was gone.

* * *

Across the way, Kero and Yue were finally free to move. It was as though their emotions had kept them prisoners to the unfolding scene before them. Now… as the conclusion of the dream had found purchase, so too, had they found their place. Alone without a master, and last of Clow's creations. 

It was an overwhelming burden to face.

* * *

With the sudden absence of weight against her chest, Tomoyo opened her eyes. There, Sakura's head hung back, a peaceful expression on her unmoving face. But… she wasn't breathing. 

"No…"

Tomoyo quickly squeezed Sakura's hand in hers. There was no response. And it was cold.

"No…"

She slowly shook her head in disbelief, her eyes wide. It wasn't possible. Quickly, she pressed herself against Sakura's body. It wasn't shaking… and there was no heartbeat.

"No… no… it can't be… it can't…"

Sakura was dead.

"NOOOOOOO! SAKURA!"

* * *

As the words flew high into the night air, it seemed to serve as a facture in the icy stillness that had overtaken everyone. Rallied by the call, tensions and hatred once again flared to life. But no stronger were those emotions than deep within Kero and Yue. 

With a savage cry that echoed Tomoyo's despondent one, Yue flew high into the air, while the wingless Kerberos sought his targets from the ground. Since the book's destruction, the energies under their jurisdiction returned to them, but only partially. However, those energies were more than enough to fuel their hatred.

Using the dissipated energies of the cards, Yue unleashed a horrific wave of destruction upon his target; the already weakened Faski. Unable to recover from the destroyed cards' rampant energies that claimed his response time, he was helpless against the onslaught. In the moments that followed, he was not only stripped of any means of retaliation, but rendered completely open. It was an opening that Yue responded to in full.

Uttering a feral roar of unchecked aggression, he descended upon the hunter. With lightning fast reflexive movement, Yue, encased in his blue energies, formed a massive crystalline shard and drove it straight towards Faski's unprotected stomach. It found purchase.

At the same time of Yue's attack, Kero released one of his own in a campaign against Shi. Using the powers of the cards that were no more, he drove Shi back. Like Faski, Shi was also sluggish from the power assault… as well as the battle before. Without the use of his weapons, the touch of death and the scythe… he was helpless. It was perfect.

* * *

To Tomoyo, the world was dead. Though the sound of battle reached her ears, there was nothing that could make her turn away. Her beloved Sakura was lifeless in her arms, the cards and the book were destroyed, she was losing strength fast, and it was only a matter of time before she would die as well. 

Though there were still Yue and Kero here as well… the hunters out numbered them. Because she couldn't fight, it was five to two… and without Sakura…. It was hopeless.

She closed her eyes, but no tears came. By this point, all her tears were already dry. There was nothing left.

"Heh…"

Tomoyo mentally stirred, but did not open her eyes. A cold voice had just pierced the veil of suffering she had wrapped about her heart. She didn't know the owner of the voice, but there could only be one result of the meeting with its owner. Clutching Sakura to her even tighter, she waited in the darkness. Perhaps she'd see her again.

But the strike for which she waited did not come. Instead, there was a pause. Whoever the owner of the voice… they seemed to be waiting for her response. Not knowing what else to do, she opened her eyes.

There, standing in the darkness was a man dressed all in leather, with a noble face, and long black hair. It was him. It was Sakura's killer. With building fear, Tomoyo waited with terror for that which would not come.

"I see that you've forgotten…"

Tomoyo blinked. Was he talking to her? She looked up.

"A pity…" he said with an accompanied sigh. He took a breath and stared hard with his unwavering eyes. "I had thought more highly of you. But no matter, I shall remind you."

He paused a moment and laughed somewhat. "Didn't I say it before?"

Then it dawned on Tomoyo. He wasn't talking to her at all. He was addressing Sakura.

He narrowed his eyes. "That when we next met… you'd forget… how to breathe."

At the end of his words, a dual scream echoed through the air.

* * *

Caught by the sudden attacks by Kero and Yue, both Shi and Faski met their end. 

Faski lay slumped against a giant shard that had pierced his abdomen and the ground behind him. At the exact moment, Shi's body collapsed to the ground, just as his severed head also made its appearance. It fell several meters away from the body and rolled to a stop. A look of horror still etched on his face. Both were beyond death.

"Tch… now that's troublesome." Spoke Hiru in a calmed voice. There was no presence of any alarm or worry. To Tomoyo, it was cause for fear.

How could he not react to his teammates' deaths? Why was he so confident… why was he so smug? Anymore… nothing made sense.

With an air of fascination, he turned to Tomoyo and addressed her. "Don't worry, I shall return to play with you… but only after I dispose of the nuisance." To disturb her further, he smiled. "Wait for me."

Wait for him… it was too much. She had been through too much already… enough was enough. Now her torment seemed to stretch endlessly.

Death… there was nothing but death in her life now. It was more than she could stand. With that last threat all too present, she felt her strength leave her.

As she keeled over next to Sakura, she suddenly felt a strange sensation of warmth overcome her. On this night of naught but coldness, it was a welcome phenomenon. Slowly, she began to slide from consciousness. She wondered if this is what dying felt like.

With her eyes glazing over, and the last of the light fading, she only briefly was aware. In the distance, she saw Yue and Kero moving forward. In the foreground, Hiru had extended his imitation of Sakura's blade. She wondered how it would end.

* * *

Tomoyo sat on a bed not of her own, staring out of a window to watch the rain. It had been pouring since the morning, and there was already a substantial amount of standing water. She sighed. 

With a tired eyes and a haunted expression, she stared absently around the room. Around Sakura's room. The room where Sakura had spent her childhood.

Somehow, everything was proceeding forward at a pace that left her trailing. A lot… no, too much had happened since she blacked out well over twelve hours ago. Far too much.

According to the others, nothing happened. She had slumped lifeless to the ground and the fight between them and Hiru was just to start, when the tides changed. Before they could fight, everyone except Syaoran had arrived. They spoke of a note and how they knew. Then, before battle could ensue, the hunters fled into the night, disappearing completely. Even their dead.

Then, the others took her and Sakura to her father's house. There wasn't much they could say beyond that. The level of grief and the dredging up of memories made it unbearable.

Tomoyo looked down to her hands. Would the pain ever stop? Sakura… her Sakura. She still couldn't believe it, even after they laid her to rest.

Tomoyo trembled slightly at the thought, but no tears came. After everything she had gone through, her tears were well past dried. There was nothing left.

After a night of grief, it wasn't until the morning that anything was decided. After a quick, impromptu decision, it was decided. After that, a few calls were made, but not many. That afternoon, she came to rest in a marked but un-named grave. As it was so soon and among the time when many funerals were happening due to the Tokyo crisis, prospects of a formal burial had been postponed for favor of a later date. Just a few words were said as she and her casket were lowered into the earth.

The attendance was small, but everyone that was there in Tokyo with her, was now in Tomoeda. Even Syaoran, confined to a wheelchair, and Nakuru, with her infirmities, were there to bid farewell. Fujitaka, who had not loosed one tear since his promise to Nadeshiko, stood in full remorse, but with an iron mask of emotion. It must have pained him to not cry. So Tomoyo was sure to cry for him.

It wasn't until after they had returned to Fujitaka's house that the grief-filled blame kicked in full. However, there was no finger pointing blame; this blame was the kind that came from within. Self-blames of not being strong enough, not trying enough, failing at one thing or another. Touya blamed himself for letting her go that night, Kero and Yue blamed themselves for not being stronger enough, Syaoran blamed himself for not regaining consciousness sooner, and Tomoyo… she blamed herself for everything. It was in her opinion… completely her fault.

Unable to deal with the overwhelming emotions any longer, she had retired to Sakura's old room, and had since done nothing. Nothing but stare out the window. She didn't eat, she didn't cry, she didn't sleep, she just did nothing.

Without cause, she got up. The rain had finally lessened, and the urge to go outside increased. However, it was no longer the afternoon, but the fading light of twilight, getting darker each moment.

Uncaring, she walked out of Sakura's room and downstairs. There, she found no one. Just like her, everyone else had gone elsewhere to grieve. Since that was that, she proceeded out the door and into the night.

* * *

It was a short time later that Tomoyo realized that she had walked without purpose. Just to get outside… to feel the air the night had to offer, that had been her only motivation. Now that she had fulfilled that necessity, she wandered aimlessly. Was there really a point to have a destination? She decided not. 

She stopped. Though she hadn't a destination, it suddenly became all too apparent that she had one all along. Subconsciously, she had walked to the cemetery in which Sakura now rested. She frowned. It wasn't her intention, but it may just help her to achieve the closure she sought. With a self-nod and a mental affirmation, she strode forward.

The wind blew and with a sudden chill, Tomoyo grabbed her shoulders. Maybe going for this walked hadn't been a good idea after all. With the rain that came before the end of the burial, she had gotten a little wet. Too grieved she didn't notice, and even now a thick blanket of moisture clung to the air. She was liable to catch her death in this weather.

As she plodded along, weaving her way through the stones, she came to think higher of this idea. Her beloved Sakura might just end up taking her too… but that wasn't right. Sakura cared far too much to do anything like that. She would never leave her, nor would she wish harm upon her. So it was decided. Tomoyo would pay her respect and then find warmth.

However, just before she found it, something was wrong. Actually, something didn't feel right… it felt wrong. And it was familiar.

Not wasting another second, she quickly ducked behind one of the larger headstones and felt her heart beat harder. Her thoughts began to race, and her breathing quickened as well. It couldn't be… it couldn't possibly. But as she watched from around the corner, it was.

Just as one steps from a shadow to a light, so too did the hunter's appearance come as he stepped out of the night. He paused a moment, his black cloak swishing about his ankles, then with fluid precision, he moved forward. There was no question of his destination, as it was the same as Tomoyo's. But where as she had known it to be the unmarked grave, and this among the countless over fresh mounds of recent, he did not. So how was it that he knew now?

Tomoyo felt her blood harden. It was one thing to hunt her down and rob her of life, but to hound her after death as well? Which one… which was it?

With a newly found drive, she risked a closer look by venturing from the stone further. She steadied her breath with the knowledge that he had his back to her, and that was the only thing that kept her from fleeing in terror. Not that it would help her.

Through unwavering eyes, she watched him. It was all that she could do… it was all. Even though she risked everything, she had to know.

Once at the edge of her grave, he paused.

What was he doing? That was all she could think. From what she knew of the hunters, none were so laid back… except one. And she prayed that it wasn't him.

However, as he took a knee by the fresh earth, she could see his face for what it was. Her heart stopped. It was… it was Hiru.

With his one hand, he kneaded the earth with his fingertips. With his right hand, he held it slightly above the center of the ground, with his eyes closed. There was almost a peaceful look etched into his soft features. Though she had no idea what he was thinking, it was all too apparent of what he was doing: waiting.

All was quiet as the darkness grew could around them. There was such inactivity and stillness that Tomoyo dared not move for fear that she'd bend a blade of grass. She closed her eyes in anticipation. She felt so helpless… it was unbearable. Then, it happened.

All around the grave a soft incandescent light permeated the soil. In the pale glow that the light gave, a small smile formed upon Hiru's face. Though it was a satisfied smile, it was also a sad one.

Tomoyo briefly wondered what he could be thinking.

Then, the glowing stopped… no… it seemed to change. The ground had no more to give, but the light remained. But the light was strange. It seemed not to have a source, nor a destination beyond its level. Instead, it gathered in a pool beneath Hiru's hand, before taking the shape of a body… no, not any body… but Sakura's.

Tomoyo mentally gasped. Could it be? She stared unbelievably. Was it… Sakura's soul?

The ghostly image of Sakura lay suspended horizontally just above the earth, yet just beneath his hand. It was perfect. Though she was naked, she looked as though she were sleeping in water, with her hair floating in a gentle current. The awful wound that was her chest didn't exist. She was whole once more.

Gathering all the strength she had left, Tomoyo resisted the urge to reach out. Though with all her heart, she wanted to. Hiru as he was had no restraints.

"I'm sorry," he expressed as he reached closer. Saturated with sorrow, he thrust his hand to her chest. Suddenly, a silent scream tore from Sakura's lips as cracks ripped through her core and the energies fled their casing and flowed into the tattooed hand above. After a few moments, it was over.

"…But magic is best where magic belongs."

This time, Tomoyo not only gasped audibly, but crushed a dead leaf under her weight. In a frenzied terror, she tried to get up to get away, but knew she could not. Without anywhere else to turn, she dashed behind the headstone that hid her before.

An amused smile crept across Hiru's face as he glanced in the direction of headstone.

Tomoyo's nerves burned. It was hopeless now… hopeless. There was no way he couldn't have seen her.

Hiru looked absently to the air. He seemed to debate something. Then he called out softly to the darkness.

"Though I told you to wait, it seems you've come to me." He smiled and looked down, closing his eyes. "I suppose this makes things easier."

When Tomoyo heard nothing more, she clenched her teeth together and clamped her eyes shut. To her, the end had come at last. However, it would not come today.

"You see, I really have no interest in you. My leader has already used you to obtain our goal… at least some of it." He laughed smoothly. "Her energies are mine. That what she could do, _I_ can do. However…" he opened his eyes. "We're not done yet. Tell her guardians that I will wait for them at the blood shrine when the worlds of light and darkness collide in the fading warmth.

"Further more… I will be alone."

He sighed to the silence as he turned away.

"Oh… and feel free to watch."

With that, he vanished in the darkness, leaving Tomoyo all alone, to consider her options.

* * *

A/C (10/4/05): Ugh... it seems everytime I go away I lose my rythym... sorry if this chapter doesn't flow as well as it should, but it was a difficult one for me to do. Hope to hear some comments on this one, bad or good.  



	26. Tears for Vengeance

Chapter 26: **Tears for Vengeance**

Tomoyo wasn't sure how long she sat there in that cemetery, hugging her knees to her chest and rocking, but when it seemed quiet, she took the chance. With a quick peer around the stone, she found her way clear. Taking a moment, she settled her nerves just long enough to gather her strength.

Without one look back, she launched from the grass and ran. She ran to run. Once clear of the painful cemetery, once clear of the ominous headstones and dirt mounds, even then… she did not stop.

* * *

When she arrived back at the Kinomoto residence, Tomoyo burst through the door, then quickly slammed it behind her. Unable to go any farther she leaned against the door for a moment, before sliding down to the floor. There, she tucked her knees to her chest, crossed her arms, and buried her head against them both. 

It was too cruel. All of it… too cruel.

Now she was where she'd been before she left. Empty… cold… alone. She wanted to cry, she really did. Not just for her, but Sakura too… even in death, Sakura could not rest, and even died again. And it was all her fault.

Tomoyo continued to travel the path of guilt, her eyes burning from lack of tears that had long since been drained from her tear ducts. Then she grew still. Why… why was it her fault?

She looked up. It was neither her fault nor any of the others. They didn't want this to happen, nor did she. They didn't kill her. No… the only blame rested on those that took her life.

Tomoyo stood unsteadily on legs weakened by fatigue. Her eyes were red, and her hair and clothes a wreck. She was cold, sad, and terrified… but those were all things she had had before. What she lacked then, she had now.

Determination.

She would pass the message on to the others… but she would hatch a plan. She was still scared, but it was personal. And now… failure meant death.

While her resolve held, she had to act, before she lost it once more. Without hesitation, she strode forward with a new purpose. Now, all she had to do was find people.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, Tomoyo sat around the dining room table with all the others present in the room. Some were standing, and some sat with her, but all listened. They listened closely as she explained with what details she could, and commented where her memory faulted. 

Most of them said nothing. Both Syaoran and Touya were silent, and had been ever since Sakura had died. Yue and Kero were both listening with intent, since Tomoyo had told them that the news involved them directly. Nakuru was silent, but seemed rather distant… more so than before, and Spinel was the only one really actively pursuing the facts. Sakura's father was back to work, as that was the only way to escape his pain.

"…and that's it."

Tomoyo looked down. She had missed some parts, but her nerves held long enough to let her continue. She thought she would feel better… but now she only felt worse.

Kero looked down. He and 'Suppie' were still in their disguises from earlier, so they could conserve their energies. Yue had the option… but chose not to subject Yukito to further outward pain.

With a sigh, Kero attempted to think the news through. When he could not, he turned to away from Tomoyo and faced the others. Talking with her wasn't going to help anymore than talking to himself.

"So… where is this… 'blood' shrine, and what did he mean about the worlds?"

Spinel sighed in response, but held his tongue. So he offered his thoughts aloud: "A taunt and a poetic wording… but what do they mean to us? Obviously the blood represents our loss… so at the shrine before, that's my guess. And the crossing of light and dark during fading warmth refers to twilight. Of course it would… that's when they're active." He shook his head them looked around. "But what? Are we supposed to let you go? We already know it's a lure."

"You mean trap?"

"No, just lure. A trap is something you don't know about." Spinel stated. He looked intensely thoughtful for a moment before speaking again. "Was that all?"

Tomoyo looked up. He was addressing her. "Ah… what?"

Spinel frowned. "Was that it? Hiru only wanted Yue and Kero?"

"Ah…" Tomoyo sat up. There was more after all. "I mean… no. He did say one more thing."

"What?"

"'Feel free to watch'."

Kero blinked. "What does that mean?"

"It means he doesn't care if you're alone." Spinel offered.

"I don't get it… why?"

This time it was Yue to speak. "We have the power of the cards… do we not?" Kero nodded and Yue continued. "But it is extremely weak… almost non-existent. Even together… he knows we would not prevail."

Tomoyo whitened. Though her nerves had calmed somewhat from being in the group, she felt her blood cool. "What do you mean?"

Kero sat on the table. He looked discouraged. "It means that he has a lot more… and given the chance, will steal what's left of ours for his own. Basically, we can't defeat him."

"But…" She wasn't hearing right… she wasn't. "But with others? If we came?"

"If you came…" Yue paused. "Then in that scenario, you'd die as well. It's what he wants."

"And if that's the case," jumped in Spinel before Tomoyo could put in edge-wise. "Then this won't work. There's no guarantee that he'd honor his word and meet us alone…"

"What?"

"Then it wouldn't work… we'll have to think of another plan…"

Tomoyo looked from one face to another. _No…_ Were they serious? No, they couldn't be. Were they really going to give up?

"Are you serious?" she asked incredulously. Everyone stopped to look at her, but she couldn't stop herself. "Are you!"

"Tomoyo," Kero looked at her with alarm.

"You can't be… can you?"

Everyone was paying close attention now, save for Syaoran, who kept his head down and his thoughts to himself. His right arm and head was still bandaged and he was still confined to his wheelchair. Whether he could walk or not was impossible to discern.

"No…"

"Tomoyo…"

"NO!" She stood up violently, her chair skidding across the floor before it fell over. She trembled with a surge of emotion, and kept shaking her head in disbelief. "Sakura… Sakura…"

She closed her eyes and a tear sought escape from between her lids. "No…" she opened them just as abruptly, the tear running down her cheek. "Not… not just her. Sakura… Eriol… dead. Why?"

She scanned the empty faces and continued. "Sakura, Eriol… and for what? For us to give up! For us to stop now when we'd just moved forward! What will it take?

"With Eriol… we gained the warning… didn't we? W-with Sakura… we… you… killed two. Is that it? Is that all we'll do?" She quaked with barely concealed rage. Only by not stopping, not heeding to stop, would she release that inside her.

"What will it take? You… Me? In death… would I take one as well? And that… with that prospect…" her chest heaved as her lungs sought air she would not permit, "with that… are you satisfied?"

She looked around sharply, from face to face, her hair whipping about dangerously. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Syaoran, who had yet to move. Disgusted, she felt the rage bubble forth from a darker depth.

"ARE you satisfied?"

Kero looked worried. "Tomoyo…"

"ARE YOU? Because I'm not… I'm not satisfied. I'M NOT SATISFIED!" She slammed her fists on the table as she screamed out an outburst increasingly uncharacteristic of her. Though that had exhausted the last of her strength, she slid to her knees and whispered: "I'm not."

"Nor should you be… Tomoyo."

Tomoyo looked up. "Touya…"

Touya's mask of emotion broke as he spoke. Though he had maintained it for this long, he could no longer stop the hatred as it threatened to overtake him. With a quiet voice that already betrayed severity, he spoke on. "Because I'm not satisfied either."

"Still… we can't deny our abilities."

"Can't you?" Touya gazed at Yue with unreadable eyes. "Then what of our abilities? Can you deny them?"

"No."

"But still… I can't say much. I'm not sure what we can do, even if we go." He sighed, then cast Tomoyo a questioning look. "What was it you wanted us to do?"

Tomoyo looked blank. Without the fire that had spurred her earlier, she had nothing. Dejected, she looked to the ground. Finally, she sighed.

"I don't know what to do. But I do know one thing…" She looked up with haunted eyes. "I will kill… I don't know how, but I will do it. I will kill him, and then the others. Make them suffer for every injury they'd ever inflicted upon her. That. That is what I'm going to do."

Touya nodded. It was clear that he felt the same. "Great. So all we need to know now is who goes… and who'll stay?"

Yue and Kero looked at other for a moment, then nodded.

"We'll go, since it was us he wanted." Kero stated.

"I'm going… but you already knew that." Tomoyo said forcibly.

"Of course." Touya said with a nod. He looked to Spinel, who nodded as well. "Well then, I guess that's it. You guys can-"

"I'm going."

Everybody looked up when Syaoran spoke. As he hadn't mentioned many words, they had expected him to remain. Besides, his injuries they thought would restrain him.

He raised his head, his eyes a normal color, not red like most of the others. Unlike them, he hadn't shed a single tear over Sakura's death. "I need to go."

"But…" Tomoyo was hesitant. She knew Sakura would hate her if Tomoyo led Syaoran to his death. Also, he couldn't walk.

"It… will be difficult, but I can still fight with my left arm… and…" he leaned forward and rose from the chair, "I'm not as impaired as you might think."

"Nor am I." said Nakuru as she stood defiantly. "I might not be able to fight, but I can save someone if need be."

Since there was little point arguing, it was decided. Collectively they decided when and how they would move. And what their chances were should an opening exist.

That established, they settled for the night, with hopes that a night's sleep and the day ahead could better their chances.

* * *

It was well into the late afternoon before they assembled. After discussing the plan with his father, Touya took the others to a location near to the shrine so the journey would not steal their strength before the possible battle. Everyone knew it would be difficult, but they were to try their best. 

When the shadows had lengthened considerably, it was time to move.

They proceeded into the fading day, and once again, the temperatures were unseasonably colder. Also, the light was bad. It was fading fast.

Unable to see properly, they were no more than half way there when Syaoran collapsed under his own weight. Despite his best efforts, he had tripped in the darkness and an injury on his leg had torn open again. At best, it would take time to fix it.

"Just go." Grunted Syaoran when they offered to wait. "It'll be past time when you get there. And this would only slow you up… provide… unnecessary liability."

Touya looked at Tomoyo, and she looked at the light. Just as Syaoran said, it was fading quickly. They needed to hurry.

"Just go already." Syaoran insisted. Without avail, he attempted to reassure them. "I can dress it myself. So please…"

"I'll stay."

Syaoran looked at Nakuru and she smiled knowingly.

"I got all high marks in my health classes… besides… I wasn't really going to be of much help out in the field. Not as I am now."

"But…" Tomoyo began.

"It's alright." Said Spinel from her side. "I will stay back to protect them incase harm should come their way."

There had to be other solutions… but this was the best for now. Satisfied, Tomoyo nodded. "I'm sorry." Without another word, she hurried off after the others would had departed after Spinel's statement.

A tired chuckle came from Syaoran as Nakuru pulled off his bandages and started to prepare the new one. "Heh… that should be my line."

Spinel looked at the departing figures and shook his head.

"Good luck."

* * *

Tomoyo gazed at the shrine grounds she had known so well… and stifled her tears at the painful memories that they now contained. To distract herself, she looked longingly at the cherry tree. If only she could borrow its powers… then maybe she'd have a chance. 

She shook herself to break herself from the thoughts. As of now, they were there. All they needed to do now was find him.

She frowned. Without adequate lighting, they wouldn't be able to see a thing. With a shudder, she moved closer to Kero. It was frightening to think that he could be in plain sight, and could hide there without them ever realizing it.

Suddenly, she froze. A prickling, tingling sensation traveled up her spine. _It couldn't be…_

"You're late."

Tomoyo's body jerked back as she heard the voice. And what's worse, it had come from above.

"But no matter… this will still do."

With a sudden glance up, Tomoyo recoiled in fear. Somehow, he was above them… squinting in the light, she saw him. The others did as well. And he was poised above them, atop of the shrine itself! With the sudden onrush of fear, she backpedaled until she was a relatively safe distance away, with the others.

"It's him."

It was difficult to see him in the fading light, but as though framed by some kind of energy, it was the first time that she had seen him this clearly. With a start she felt all the memories flow back at once. Sakura's fight… her death… even the sight of him crouched over the grave of her dear Sakura. Just the thought gave her the chills.

Now, he was clearly out in the open. There he was, standing before them, with his long black hair neatly blowing in the wind… his black tattered cloak flowing around him as though framing his essence… and his cold eyes staring out from his well defined face. Out of all the hunters, she had found him as the most intimidating… and out of all of them, the most enigmatic. He looked down upon the group, and focused on Kerberos and Yue.

Tomoyo started. Just as he had told her, he was after them first… even if they weren't alone.

"It…" he stated, with his low voice at an almost bemused tone, "…is time."

Yue and Kero tensed themselves for battle. Yue did not wait for any movement, and launched himself skywards in order to release a barrage of his spikes at the would-be assailant.

Hiru's face remained unchanged and with a smile, the tattoos on his right hand suddenly flared up, and his black shield blocked the incoming attack.

At a different angle, Kero released his own flame, and Yue tried another attack, but these were blocked as well. Even Touya had begun to engage. With clear amusement, Hiru chuckled.

This time, he held his hand out and a torrent of wind buffered all of them back, and kept them from moving. Within seconds, their entire offensive had been rendered immobile. Regardless of the ramifications of his actions, he seemed to be toying with them, as if he only wanted to say something.

"Ah… I invited you here so kindly, and yet… is it not ok for us to simply talk?" There was a pause in movement. "I suppose not, but I implore you… listen."

Both Yue and Kero clenched their jaws and Touya and Tomoyo did all that they could from being blown from where they stood.

Tomoyo moved forward. "Talk? You wanted their power. That's what you told me."

"I know… but if I were to tell you that I only wished to talk, would you have come?" He made eye contact with her. "It was my thought, that if you thought you had the chance to destroy me… you'd come right away. Though, I have another intent, rather than take power or to destroy lives."

"Really?" spat Kero. "I can hardly except that you hunters could possess such traits of normalcy."

"Well," continued the hunter. "normalcy was hardly my intent. Instead, the thought was that were you to listen well enough to my 'Voice'…" he paused slightly and his face took a look of indifference, while the winds restraining them died down. "…then you might be able to discover the truth."

Tomoyo felt her eyes fly open, as she and the others went into shock. Just now… his voice… it changed. It couldn't be… and she knew it… but she also knew _that_ voice. After all… it was that voice that she knew best… but that… that was impossible!

Slowly, she moved forward, and disbelievingly, stared at the hunter, with one word on her lips.

"S… Sakura…"


	27. Revelations

Chapter 27: **Revelations**

"S… Sakura…"

A moment ago they had been facing one of the enemies, one that they've been fighting against so desperately. So what was this? Why was he using Sakura's voice? Why…

Kero bulked. "Sakura's… that was Sakura's voice just now."

Yue's guard did not drop, but he felt as though he needed to lash out verbally before putting his thoughts into action. "Who are you? You can't possibly… the master…"

Touya clenched his teeth.

"No!" Tomoyo's voice rang out. "It can't be… you… her… I saw her die!" Her eyes began to tear up.

"Tomoyo…" said Kero worriedly.

She fell to her knees. "I…" she started, "…I saw… I saw her die in my own arms! W-while I was holding her… y-you… can't be… can't possibly…" Overwhelmed, she started to cry in her hands.

"Why?"

They looked up. He was still speaking with Sakura's voice.

"Why is it not possible?" He let the words sink in, before smiling.

Kero started to protest, but the man raised his tattooed hand to silence him. "Clearly if I wanted to harm you, it would have been easy for me. Is there any doubt that with all the recent troubles, a solution would be preferred over something inclusive?"

"Go... go on." Kero stuttered.

"Then, isn't the best source of knowledge… from the source itself?" Everyone was intent now, staring unblinkingly. "So…" he grinned, "…then at times like these, a proper deception, no matter how taxing… is the perfect 'Illusion' to achieve the solution."

At the mention of "Illusion", his entire being began to ripple color. Black hair began to change to a familiar brunette color, the eyes turned green and the face turned feminine, the clothes retained their color, but reduced in size and shape, and the tattoo on the now feminine hand turned into a glove with strange runes and symbols.

"Impossible!" Tomoyo shouted wildly into the air, making clear her opinions. "It's not possible… I… it's not." A violent shudder claimed her and she wrapped her arms about her shoulders in desperation. "It's not… lie… you lie! Why?" she gasped. "Why are you doing this to me… us?"

She looked over the others briefly, reading their own stances and expressions. They were just as emotional as she. And she couldn't stand the thought of this as just another trick to destroy them. She'd given up, and let her thoughts flow.

"I don't care anymore… I don't. If you want to… I won't… I won't stop you anymore."

The figure that now adopted Sakura's form held their face steady. Save the small grin, it was as devoid of emotion as the image before. To Tomoyo, it was just too much.

"It's not like her… it isn't. My Sakura… she… my… would never." She took a slight pause just before she finished in desperation. "Sakura wouldn't… would never use such tricks… such… such…"

"Deception?" Completed a voice with such an obtrusive subtleness it made everyone save the Sakura atop the shrine stop what they were doing to look off to the darkness beyond 'Sakura'.

"I must admit… it was a nice play. And ah… what deception it was." The hunters' leader stated with mock pride. Though he was the only one visible in the darkness, he was not alone. And though it was impossible to discern, the shadows around him looked to number four.

"Let us see," he continued. "Not only a deception against me, but one against the friends as well." He motioned his hand beyond Sakura's position. "In its totality, a deception that bore false representation of fact or even circumstance… intended as a calculation to mislead. Or as know in law… a _false pretense_." He paused to issue a broad smile to those watching. "Very well… very well done indeed."

"So you say." Sakura said with no emotion.

"You don't think so?"

"You found out about it… didn't you?" Sakura's tone was bitter, and her face had become a mask of scrutiny.

The hunter leader nodded. "That is true. But the truth was that I didn't know before… but I know now… all of it."

Tomoyo watched as the one claiming to be Sakura scowled. Although she wanted more than anything to have her Sakura back… this… this was not her Sakura. This Sakura was cold… and nothing about her felt right. The absence of the cards and the key only heightened her sense of unease.

"All of it… you say." Sakura's face hardened. "What counts as 'all' of it?" Her eyes flicked past him for a fleeting second before refocusing.

His eyes followed her and he smiled knowingly. "Yes… that's right. Isn't it? Ka-sari?"

Without a response, one of the shadows behind him disappeared, only to reappear underneath the shrine, its back to Tomoyo and the others. The instantaneous action spurred the others to life, but before they could rush forward offensively, a buffeting wind kept them from moving all but backwards. Though the figure was Ka-sari, Sakura was protecting him!

Without a word, she slipped through the shrine as easily as would a ghost, and alighted next to the hunter with the ease of a feather, her cloak fluttering in the wind.

"I'm sorry… Sakura."

Sakura shook her head and placed her hand on his shoulder. "No…" she stated softly. "It's not your fault."

She moved forward and from her empty hand extended a blade of dark energy. If possible, it made the night even darker. Forcibly, she held it front of her as though to ward off any attacks forthcoming.

"Now then… I'm curious. How long have you known… truly?"

The leader laughed heartily and then paused to run his fingers over his beard. "You assume much, do you not?"

Sakura shrugged. "It is a fair question… isn't it?"

"That it is. Very well… long enough."

"That's not an answer… just to let you know." Sakura shot.

"I suppose you would want the real answer." He grumbled.

Sakura said nothing; instead, she turned her head and looked off into the distance, as though bored. "No…" she said absently, "actually, at this point I could care less. What's done is done." She lowered her sword and it disappeared. "Besides… you already know 'everything' anyway."

He watched her warily for a moment, but when she did not move, neither did he. "Ah… quite perceptive after all." He smiled again, then addressed her simply. "You had met my expectations earlier, but now I am quite pleased to admit that you have surpassed them. Truly, you are the marvel in which we proclaimed. I am not disappointed." He looked past her and continued. "With this… you are truly the equal; no… you have surpassed that barrier long ago. She is certainly beyond your strength now, isn't she… Ka-sari?

"Or should I say… Hiiragizawa Eriol?"

A low gasp reached Sakura's ears from her friends behind her, but she did nothing to acknowledge it. However, as the hunter's leader stared at Ka-sari's unwavering eyes, it did all to confirm his suspicions.

"Yes… you are he. I can sense it clearly now. I had wondered…. Ka-sari is one of my best, yet of late his performance has been lacking… rather, more of a disappointment than anything. And I know better. It only makes sense that he was no longer in control of himself." His gaze fell upon Sakura and he lost his prideful expression. "I suppose you might know more than I."

Sakura said nothing immediately, instead looking absently into the hunter's face. A few moments had passed, then she lowered her gaze and she seemed to come to a conclusion.

"Ha… we thought that you had killed him yourself, back in England." She closed her eyes and shook her head but a moment, before reopening them to read his expression. "But I somehow doubted it." She looked past him and her voice dropped to a darker tone. "Unless Faski and Shi are unique in both their longevity and regenerative abilities. But my guess is that the real Ka-sari isn't dead either. Or am I mistaken?"

"No… you're not." Replied the hunter's leader in an amused tone. "I'm quite impressed."

"You shouldn't be. I'd already figure as much for all of them… except you." She paused, letting the information settle before she moved on. "The last of clan Zeneiya. Only you survived the tragic slaughter bestowed upon you by a frightened Clow Reed. Personally… I'm quite amazed at how well you've kept over these centuries. Surely… the power of whatever trinket you carry must be truly astronomical."

A silent hush filled the air as the hunter considered her words. At the same time, both sides, hunters and Tomoyo and the others; kept silent, no doubt watching their worlds spin. Whatever his emotion, their leader held his cool, as did Sakura, as they did nothing more than wait.

"My… survival…" he looked at his hand and closed his fingers and flexed them open, and repeated the process, with a longing look. "Yes… you could call it such. As it is… you don't know… you don't. And why would you?

"I was just a babe when my people were forced into exile. Over those bleak years, I knew naught but hardship. The rest of the world shunned us. They hated us. But we knew they'd bow to us.

"Our chance for power came when that fool wandered into our perimeter. We had him. The key to unlock our chains was within our grasp. And then, I knew the pleasures of life no more.

"'Tragic slaughter'? Soften it as you will, but his acts were those of murder, in the coldest fashion. You'd know only if you lived it—and died in the process."

Sakura eyed him closely, before the corner of her mouth twitched into that of a cold smile. "That's funny… but you don't look dead to me. Take it from one who knows of these things."

"BAH!" he bellowed loudly into the night. "What manner of death have you to overcome? Trickery and lies may be… but the real death is much more permanent. Something that even Clow Reed has escaped when he found rebirth! But I… I did not have such trickery in my ability. I only had those that came before me."

He motioned to the sides and his remaining hunters came forward. Both Faski and Shi were as they had been since before their first meeting in Tokyo, and the real Hiru, with his own assortment of injuries healed. As expected, Sakura showed no hint of surprise.

"These are my predecessors. The best warriors ever to exist within our clan. But they met death generations before my own demise… yet I feel as though I've known them for an eternity. Because of the Soul Asylum."

He closed his fist with such a force that incandescent bands of white energy began to arc over his glove and thus across his fist, much as electricity would. Without so much of a warning, similar bands began to ripple over Ka-sari's body. Time had run out.

"Sakura?"

Surprised by the sudden interruption, the leader looked up and the process halted a moment. Standing bewildered from between the support of Spinel and Naruku, was Syaoran. But it was Spinel's voice that had emanated the surprise, while Syaoran looked on disbelievingly at the scene before him.

"S-sakura…?"

A dangerous look of pleasure crossed the leader's face as he looked from Sakura and Ka-sari, to the new arrivals. Then he smiled at Ka-sari's form.

"It is unfortunate for you, that of now, all the players have assembled… no more than to simply watch you die… since as you are… your body is already gone. It was regretful before that I lost one of my own in the process, but such was your last calculated move."

Sakura tore her gaze from the hunters to cast a look back towards Syaoran, but instead settled her eyes upon Nakuru, and gave her a nod. With a smile, she nodded back.

Unaware of the exchange, the hunters' leader swelled proudly. "My only solace is in knowing that with the soul asylum…"

Nakuru pushed Syaoran away from her and onto Spinel. With a wild cry she said, "Take him!"

Sprinting forward, she held her hands forward as she began to chant softly: "Key that hides the power of the dark…"

With eyes set on Ka-sari alone, the leader continued without interruption. Unaware of the soft chanting as he continued to talk over its conclusion. "…I alone wield the fates of my people,"

Nakuru raised her hands as a dark mass of energy rippled into existence.

"and those fates, will be the ones to take you to your grave!"

Clow's staff appeared between her hands, just as bands of increased intensity overwhelmed Ka-sari's body.

The hunters' leader leveled his fist at Ka-sari's body. "CLOW REED!"

* * *

At the same instant, Nakuru leveled the staff at Ka-sari, as the leader's fist opened. 

In the battle of magical energies influencing Ka-sari's body, she was losing.

Without thought, she concentrated on the figure's soul and its destination, before crying out:

"Soul there stricken, and confined! Break those chains that do bind! Seize this magic, and ask its boon… Return to thy body, Ruby Moon!"

* * *

Just before the final word of the spell, there was a wrenching sound that tore through the air as the hunter's leader used the bands of energy to completely destroy the body of Ka-sari. But just as it started to implode, another form was yanked free and pulled back. And while the real Ka-sari rematerialized on the hunters' side, the form that went skidding back towards Nakuru was shapeless for a just moment before standing reborn. 

Ruby Moon took a few seconds to gather herself and looked at her arms and hands to make sure it was really herself, and then sighed. As she felt relief flow back into her, she spread her butterfly wings and let them feel the coolness of the air... "Ah… it's good to be back to my body." She glanced back to Nakuru and smiled. "Though… you certainly took your time in getting here."

"Really…" Sakura agreed as she glanced between the spot where both forms had just rested a moment before.

Nakuru shrugged and took her place at Sakura's side facing the hunters. "My apologies… I did try to get here earlier… but I was held up by your boyfriend."

Sakura nodded, some of her darkness abating for the moment. "Regardless," she started, "it's good to have you back. Eriol."

The form beside her smiled in acknowledgement as Nakuru's face and body began to change its size and shape.

"I think…" the form said in a deepening voice as he addressed the hunter's leader. "Vijari… that now…" Nakuru's voice dropped away completely, and Eriol's voice took over, just as the rest of his body returned to normal. He smiled.

"…that now all the players are present."

He smiled smugly as the hunters' faces darkened. He looked to Sakura who nodded.

With that confirmation, Eriol looked over the hunters and gestured his hand.

"And as they say… it's your move."

* * *

A/C (10/11/05): Well, that was the second chapter that I had been wanting to write since before this project started. To let people know now what I withheld before, you can expect nine more chapters before the story reaches finality. (36 chapters total) 


	28. Present to Past

Chapter 28: **Present to Past**

"IMPOSSIBLE!"

Sakura heard Kero loudly voice his thoughts, but because it was certainly the same thoughts as those of the hunters, she did nothing to acknowledge it one way or another.

"Sakura was enough… but Eriol too?"

Eriol smiled and faced Kero as Sakura continued to confront the hunters. "It is hard to accept, isn't it, Kerberos? But know it is the truth… one that we will explain to you when it is the time for it."

Taking note of the silence that fell, he turned his attention back to the hunters who seemed less eager for a confrontation than they had been before. Now that the advantage was clearly out of their hands, they were merely watching things played out before them. Most of all, they were watching their leader.

"Well Vijari, we both seemed to have gained an extra to fuel our cause tonight." Eriol said lightly to take advantage of the quiet surrounding them. "I have regained my body, and though most of us are broken, you and yours have seemed to not only gain Ka-sari, but are whole once more."

"Which reminds me," Sakura mentioned after Eriol's short statement, "there's no need for pain to continue."

With a subdued expression she spread her arms to the side and as she did a trail of red glow snaked along the ground beneath her movement. Though, when she stopped, it did not. Without pause the energy continued to trail along the ground until it began to flow fluidly towards and around the feet of her company of friends and family. Where upon contact with their feet, the air began to ripple and the red energy disappeared.

"What the-" Kero started, lifting a paw as though testing the ground itself.

Others were doing something similar, except for Syaoran, who had already slid to his knees after being pushed aside, using his left arm for support as the broken right hung limply. Just as the others were no doubt experiencing, he no longer saw the energy that worked into him. He felt it.

Akin to something of amusement, Eriol watched as cuts and burns healed, and had no doubt that other injuries abated as well.

Wings returned, bones knitted, injuries healed, and bandages fell off. Soon, everyone was as they had first been, before those Tokyo nights.

Eriol looked at them with a curious expression until their wounds were no more, then admitted to the hunters: "I guess I spoke to soon. From the looks of things, we have just as much integrity as you. However, that does not displace our manners. The first move is yours… but will you take us up on that?"

Ka-sari moved forward, no doubt restless from his lengthy confinement within the artifact that held their spirits, but at a simple hand gesture from his leader, he stopped.

With grave eyes, their leader looked over his rejuvenated foes and then to his own hand, still rippling with the faded energies.

"No…" he said quietly as he closed his hand, the energies dissipating. "To fight you as you are now would be beyond foolish. Nor shall we pursue you tonight." The hunters behind the leader started to disperse within the shadows. "Enjoy your reunion while able to, for when next we meet, it will be to my benefit."

Sakura and Eriol did nothing but let him go, watching without words or emotion as he disappeared into the night.

Without pause, the newly healed Kero rushed forward with anger in his eyes.

"What was that?" He accused dangerously. "You just let them go? You didn't even try to stop him? And what did he mean, 'benefit'"?

Eriol looked at him with a simple expression as he fixed his glasses to a higher place on his face.

But Kero was not finished.

"Who are you? Really?"

Eriol inclined his head slightly and then smiled.

"We are who we are. Sakura and I are alive, just as you see here, because we no more met with our deaths than the hunters met theirs. There is much to not understand."

"Not understand?" Yue cut in, though Kero had opened his mouth. "We had thought the both of you dead, and then you return as though nothing has happened? And why did they leave? What is it you aren't telling us, ERIOL!"

"Hmm, there is something… and I see what it is." Eriol replied distractedly. When he received further looks of inquiry, he merely stated: "The air is dangerous tonight."

He looked back to Sakura and she nodded.

"Yes… just like that time…" She paused to look closer at what the others could not see, and frowned. "But not here… no… Tokyo?"

Eriol gave her a nod, ignoring the others.

"Then our path is set. And while they are already there, we need to intercede before calamity grants them passage to control." Sakura turned back to the rest and beckoned them forward. "Come, we mustn't delay, or it will be over for us."

However, though her words were supposed to relay a sort of urgency, the others did nothing.

As she searched their eyes it became more apparent as to why. In the simplest set; they didn't trust her. They didn't even seem to know her... and just that truth hurt. But it was true… they wouldn't know her, especially when she didn't even know herself.

Still, the emotions were there. The desire to reach out to them was overwhelming, but she could not. The need to comfort was overbearing, but it too was dominated by something that she would not have dared to possess just a week before.

Attempting to reach out to them still, she went forward again. "Really guys, it's m-"

As she clutched at her heart, pain upon pain tore through her body. In her attempt to reach out, the violence and darkness within lashed out in retaliation. In truth, it felt like that of her true self was forever falling through the void, never once to see the sun again. With that thought, she reached out in desperation, and felt someone break through the darkness and take her hand.

"Are you all right, Sakura?"

Sakura opened her eyes and found herself grasping Eriol's hand for support. It was unfortunate in a way… when she has been hoping for Syaoran. But as he was now… skeptic, and untrusting, and maybe even beyond hurt, it was a comfort she could not expect.

With a resigned sigh of agony, she stood up, her cloak blowing in the wind.

"I'll live… it's just too early as yet."

Eriol nodded as only he could, since only he understood. Then with a furtive glance at the others, he said his next statement in a low voice they could not hear.

In response, she nodded.

"I suppose it is time, to drop the pretenses." Sakura spoke blandly, as the emotions fled her voice once more. "I cannot expect your trust once again until you understand."

"Understand what?" Tomoyo questioned. She had held her tongue long enough. It was her turn to speak.

Sakura nodded her head and smiled darkly. "Understand the truth."

"What truth… all I see are lies."

"Yes, lies that we are dropping as of now." Sakura spoke casually. "That is the way in order to see the truth."

A tear began to trace Tomoyo's flushed cheek as she grit her teeth angrily. "As I just said… or weren't you listening? Or do you even care? WHAT TRUTH?"

When Sakura didn't say anything, she continued with an unmatched ferociousness. "What truth is there when the only truth I saw was SAKURA DIE?" She took a deep breath and refused herself to look at the faces of the others. "I saw it. Can you honestly tell me that was a lie? The person in my arms that day was not an illusion… she was Sakura… and nothing can convince me otherwise."

"That Sakura was very convincing, but she was not I." Sakura said plainly. "I never died. Though there was indication that I might, I did not."

"But you can't be… I saw-"

"You saw only what I wanted everyone to see. Believe it or not, but I am Sakura."

"But your dream! You… you died." Tomoyo shook her head despairingly. "There's no way you-she can be alive."

Sakura looked at her with a mixture of sympathy and pity, before she responded unemotionally. "Isn't there? It's true that a dream brought forth by the dream card can never be anything but truth, but it is just that simple. In that dream, I wasn't the one killed." She paused and looked into the night's sky to avoid Tomoyo's pained face. "Even to me, it was a truth that remained buried until that day."

* * *

Sakura closed the door behind her and slumped down at her desk. The thoughts from the night before overwhelmed her to the fullest extent. With anticipated dread, she clutched at the crumpled note in her hand with a feeling of hopelessness. It was really going to happen.

She was going to die.

As she rested her head on the desk, she wept. But not for herself as much as for the others. Her family and friends that she knew she'd leave behind. And worse than that… to a world which bled with uncertainty and destruction. It was all the more likely that their fates were much of her own, and that was what saddened her the most.

It was kind of funny… that all her young life she had feared ghosts. Then she had almost joined them and lost that fear, replaced with acceptance. Now… she was going to follow that acceptance to the grave, and unwillingly take her place in the company of other spirits.

Life's irony was overbearing.

Gathering herself she lifted her head from her desk and wiped the tears from her eyes. If she was going to go… really go… then she'd do her best so the others were prepared. No… she would bring them back to what they were supposed to be.

But how? They were covered in injuries and lacked the zeal to move forward. Also, even if it was to save Tomoyo, they wouldn't listen. They were bound to the promise that Tomoyo never made. They would refuse her.

At that thought, Sakura screamed silently in her head. What was she going to do? If she went, she'd die, and if she didn't go, then Tomoyo would die. It was beyond any dilemma she'd ever faced.

Plus… she had to go alone… or else the hunters would kill them both.

But wait… there was _that_ card. Going to the book, she pulled the cards from their resting place and pulled out the card with the black set image of the floating silver footprint that only half appeared. One of her most recent cards… the Stealth.

Until now, she'd only used it once… and only with herself, the night she went to find Syaoran. She'd never used it with more people, though it was feasible. Though… even so, two would be a lot.

She sighed and pushed it aside. The hunters could track magic. It wouldn't work.

Or would it?

With a sense of subdued enthusiasm, she extracted another card from the pile. This card had an image of a spiritual mask floating in the air with its eyes closed. The Mask.

She smiled.

The Mask created an effect similar to Shield… but eliminated the ability of an outsider to track one magically. Used with the Stealth card… the possibilities just doubled. It could… no, it would work.

Excited, she began to sort through the cards to find other possibilities. In the process of routing around, she knocked over the wooden box Tomoyo had given her. When she did, the leather glow within tumbled out and onto the floor.

Without really having a good idea as to why, she smiled. Perfect.

It was truly perfect.

Now that she saw it, she remembered. She had been working on it magically. Altering it this way and that, to make it all but perfect… the perfect card carrier. Also, it had the various ancient runes inscribed in it to make it all but indestructible. Having used bits of pieces from the other cultures to not only heighten its strength, but her own as well.

Once completed, she could connect the cards to the central nexus of the compartmental holding camber, shrinking them to fit using a constant connection to Little. Without haste, she put the glove on and examined it again. It was nearly complete… all it was missing…

…was the key.

The key could do it… the key would open the pathways for her complete mental command. It was all there.

* * *

"Wait… I don't follow you Sakura. What about the key… what glove?"

Turning to Touya, she held up her right hand. On it, was fit a snug fingerless leather glove, inscribed with ancient runes and figures.

"This glove… is Tomoyo's gift to me. And the one proof that I am who I say I am."

While she left them to mull the idea in their heads, Tomoyo approached with a look of awe. Careful not to approach too close, she bent to examine the glove. Though it looked familiar, it was impossible to tell completely due to its altered appearance. However, all the same, it was intriguing.

"All the same," Sakura started, "it was a shame that I had to quickly abandon that idea. After all… in my dream, I had the key with me… it was what I used in the dream to make the sword. Plus, all the cards were within the book. So unfortunately, that idea fell through pretty quick. But I wasn't fully discouraged. I still had the plan from before. And it was just getting better."

* * *

Sakura pushed the glove away and resumed a downcast expression. It still wouldn't work.

With a sigh, she resumed staring at the clock, watching the day go on and the time pass unrestricted.

Time…

Suddenly she sat up.

What had it been that time? What were his words… what were they?

'I could kill you at anytime…'

No, that wasn't it. It was later.

'The others wouldn't be as merciful.'

No, that's what she said. It was his words…

'That's true… However… the others aren't counting on you to save them in the fore moment, when it mattered.'

What was it that Ka-sari had been trying to say?

'…counting on you…' '…when it mattered…'

Sakura shook her head. It didn't make sense. And Syaoran didn't hear it… and Tomoyo might have, but what did it matter? It was too late to ask her.

She collapsed against her arms. It was hopeless after all. For all her knowledge… and what was it worth? She wished that she knew… because the only one other than herself to answer that was already gone and couldn't help her in a time when it mattered.

Her heart skipped a beat.

_When it mattered…_

'…when it mattered.'

_When it mattered… not 'matters'…_ It was a past tense. It meant that she had already…?

With a start, she jumped up from her desk.

She wasn't going to meet the hunters at all. She was going to save Eriol… when it mattered.

But even so… she had to go save Tomoyo… and if she had to go to the past, would she get back in time? Or would she be too tired… or… or…

She put a hand to her mouth.

Or would she send her 'twin' in her place?

With a trembling hand, she pulled out a card and whispered its name:

"Mirror."

* * *

"You used Seisatsu?" Tomoyo asked incredulously. "But… no… no, that doesn't make sense. Even if she's your reflection, it doesn't mean that she could act as you… or even to use the cards! Only Sakura could have done it."

"Yes… but that was before I let her borrow my abilities through the one card that made everything else a possibility. The Transfer card."

"Transfer card?" Touya looked bewildered. "What's that?"

Sakura looked to her brother and looked into his eyes. Though they were red from all of his pain, she could do nothing about it. She just wasn't able to.

"Well, as the Change exists to swap people's minds, I thought there should be a card that allows one to benefit others. With Transfer, one can exchange anything. Memories, powers, abilities, feelings, everything. And so I did. I gave her everything she needed to know about the dream and nothing that had occurred to me since. Unfortunately, I was still inexperienced with its power, and gave us too much of a link. That's why I felt pain in the dream. I felt what she felt even though it wasn't really me. So in short, when she "died", so did I."

"But…" she said as she held up her hand to stop the forthcoming questions, "I am getting ahead of myself. It's obvious now that I didn't know about that then… especially since I was still sorting out the details."

"After she emerged holding the reflections of the book, key, and cards as well, we worked the details, she agreed, on the account that if she were to die, I'd be able to bring her back, but if I were the one to go, we'd all be finished. So with my inexperienced ability, I transferred a strong presence of the cards and the other items, and then proceeded onward and gave her a piece of myself." At this point, Sakura's face fell and she seemed to disappear into her inner darkness. "However, I had meant to give her just my memories of before my various revelations so she didn't figure out the same things, but instead, I gave her part of myself… part of my soul."

Tomoyo started to turn white. The screaming image that she had witnessed before… Sakura's soul… so it was…

But without even a piece of it…

"In that instance," Sakura continued, "we shared a link stronger than any of the magic before… though at the time I hadn't realized the scope of things."

She smiled and gave a small laugh.

"To my credit… and luck… she did not regain mental awareness until after I had completed the metamorphosis of the key onto the glove," at this, she brandished the back of her glove so all could see the elaborate design of the inset metal piece of the transformed key, made into that of a layered golden star. "But after that, I was too groggy to really maintain my rationality, and departed from my room under the effects of my Stealth and Mask cards."

"Later, I remembered that I forgot to shut the window I had left behind. Heh… in the end, I figured it wouldn't matter, that given the state I had been in before, I'd just have mistaken it for madness." The thought made her smile. "I'm sure it was nothing to Seisatsu as well."

Sakura paused and shook her head, as though reminiscing on some distant memory of actions of a younger and more foolish self.

"With my tracks covered, I set off to make my meeting with Ka-sari a reality… by saving Eriol."

* * *

Sakura smiled. It was all too easy.

Using the two cards in conjunction made everything easy, and because of the glove, her power was easily doubled. By using that ability, she was invisible to the world. Now, as she stood at her destination, she'd prove herself in the only way she could.

With a determined fire in her eyes, she looked at the cherry tree before her and smiled. It was still hours before the hunters would think to come here, and by the time they have… there will only be three.

Sakura took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It was time.

When she released it, she held up her gloved fist and opened her eyes.

"I'm coming… Eriol."


	29. Past to Present

Chapter 29: **Past to Present**

Sakura stood determined before the cherry tree that she had relied on in her youth.

She had used the tree's powers before to augment her own for use of the return card... and this time she would do the same. Although… this time might be to a different effect. After all, this was in no way a simple visit. This time she had to set things to how they should be.

She was going to manipulate time's natural course… but at the moment, she wasn't exactly sure how.

Without dwelling upon it further, she threw herself wordlessly at the tree, only to disappear altogether.

Moments later, she had traveled an uncountable number of moments back. Also, she was no longer in Japan, but England.

It was at this moment that the uncertainty set in, and the price for having lost a part of herself.

With a heavy brow, she sunk to her knees, desperate to maintain consciousness. It was difficult, but with the glove as her crutch, it seemed feasible. No, she knew it was necessary.

Straining herself to limits exceeding pain, she fought against all that wished her defeat.

But even with the extra power, it was not enough. Even with everything she had gained…

…she had lost.

* * *

Off a distance from Sakura, across rolling grassy fields was a small knoll overlooking a vast and wooded valley below. Perched on its head was a moderately sized house with normal features. Around it were a few trees and small gardens offering various forms of native floral and others that supported vegetables and the like. 

Though the sun was low in the sky, it was not the twilight that it came to represent, because the air was cool with a tinge of night.

The subtle dew of morning littered the grasses and the birds offered a gentle song.

But within the house the activities were not one of peace, nor were the inhabitants just starting their day.

Deep in the cellar, hunched over a loose pile of newspaper articles with only the light from a computer monitor and the thin streams coming through the lone dusty window that lay slightly above ground level was Eriol. Though in appearance it was impossible to tell, he had been working with little rest for three days. And with the piles of information scattered across the dusty workspace, it was largely apparent that he had more days in store.

Choosing that moment to pause, he looked up to the stream of light and smiled. Another morning had arrived, and to greet a new day was always an exceptional bout of good fortune. Still… there was much he had yet to accomplish.

He sighed as his smile faded.

The papers in his hand seemed the probably cause. Reports across the many pages had various prints, but the theme was the same: theft. Crimes that had become increasingly common of late, and always of something magical…

…And where magic was concerned, it was never good.

Just behind him there was a distant soft plodding of padded feet, and then a great black beast with giant butterfly wings adorned to its back walked into the room. In its mouth was another pile of books, as well as several CDs and floppy disks.

With perfected precision, it placed its load perfectly on the desk and then stretched out its muscles.

"Thank you, Spinel." Said Eriol warmly. "What news of the outside world?"

Spinel finished a yawn he had entered and then reverted back to his smaller disguise form of the black cat plush toy. He then excused himself and flew up to the desk's computer and brought up a few images from the internet.

"More thefts. Though this time, a lot closer to home." He positioned the mouse over a text link and several articles with pictures included, popped up onto the screen.

After a few seconds, Eriol looked up.

"Then this is-"

"-London, yes." Affirmed Spinel. "This time it was under our noses in our own country."

Eriol nodded. "Then it's almost time."

"It is."

Spinel quickly searched through the pile he had brought in and pulled out a manila folder and opened it. Inside were various newspaper clippings and artifact listings.

"This is the report you've been wanting." He paused to flip through some of the papers and pictures. "This will be really helpful for finding what they've acquired and how they can use it against us. Here."

With that, he flopped the folder in front of Eriol atop the other stuff, raising a settled cloud of dust and dislodging a single colored photo. The picture caught the draft of the wind and floated across the air until it settled several paces away, against a laundry basket and old chair, mostly obscured by the darkness of the cellar shadows. Only by chance, one ray of the sunlight illuminated the corner of the photo, revealing the smiling face of Mizuki Kaho.

Both Eriol and Spinel had watched its airborne journey in silence. When it landed, Eriol stared at it with a subtly remorse look upon his face, before standing to his feet. Then with the utmost care, he lifted it from its resting place and held it gingerly in his hand.

When he did not come back to the desk, Spinel looked at him with feelings that echoed Eriol's.

"Eriol…" Spinel started tentatively. "You've been here long enough, haven't you? Why don't you go outside… go for a walk or something? Just to clear your mind."

A thoughtful expression crossed the young man's face, as he considered the possibility. Then, he shook his head and placed the picture carefully into his shirt pocket, right over his heart.

"No… I think I'll be alright." Eriol managed a small smile, then pushed his glasses, which now resembled more of Clow Reed's than the oversized ones he bore in his youth, higher on his nose. "Besides, we need to finish this to determine what we can expect. Especially if they are who I fear."

Spinel nodded, and went back to his research as Eriol took his seat back at the desk.

For the next several minutes, he worked quietly on what he had in front of him when a sudden flutter of air made him stir.

Whatever it had been, it was brief, but clearly noticeable.

Eriol looked over to Spinel curiously, just to see him working without pause, apparently oblivious to the disturbance. To Eriol, it was a good thing.

"Ah Spinel…" Spinel looked up and Eriol continued, with every intention of distancing him from whatever he had sensed. "Could you continue the gathering on what we've sorted so far and save it on file? I believe you were right in what you said before, and it would be of benefit to go on such a walk." He stood up casually and stretched a bit. "Will you be alright?"

Spinel nodded. "I think I can manage."

"Good. Then I'll return as soon as I can."

"Don't, just take your time."

Eriol nodded at the suggestion and smiled. "Yes… I just might."

* * *

Moments later, Eriol stepped casually from his front porch and walked with apparent interest in the gardens as he did so. Every now and then, he would pause to examine a plant or even acknowledge a visiting bird as they hopped through the various shrubs. When he had navigated himself to a small grove of trees that obstructed the view of the house entirely, he stopped. 

With his back to the trees, he looked calmly over the vast empty fields that lolled about over the land, a serene and peaceful look upon his face.

"It's always such a nice setting, rain or shine. The sunlight kisses the land and the shadows have no place here. Even with the most destructive of storms, this setting will not change." He paused to gaze over the emptiness and then closed his eyes as the sunlight played upon his face. "I hope that whoever you are, you haven't come to distribute the shadows that don't belong."

When there was no answer to his un-asked question, he opened his eyes.

"I may not be able to see you, but that means nothing to one capable enough. Even if I don't know where you are, as you can't hide forever, you might as well come out."

There was continued silence as the wind blew slightly, rustling the field grasses and weeds as it went. Blowing the pollens and debris with it. When it stopped, Eriol sighed.

"Maybe not then."

He turned around and started to take a step when a small voice came from the nothingness in the field.

"Shadows…"

He turned back and fought to hear it. Whoever it was, the voice was clearly female, but strained beyond recognition. For the life of him, he couldn't place it.

"You may not like them…" the voice repeated. "…but they'll fall regardless."

At the voice's end, there was an illuminated ripple across the air, and before his eyes, Sakura appeared as though melting through the very fabric of reality.

"Sakura?"

He took a hesitant step forward before pausing. Though he could see her now, he still could sense nothing about her. It was as though there was a mask hiding her true self. If she were just on a simple visit, she'd have been much more direct…

"Though I can't say that I'm not happy to see you, I must admit that your being here is a surprise in the least. After all, I thought you were-"

"I am." She placed a hand to her chest and took some steadying breaths before standing. "Currently, I am… doing other things."

Eriol took her cryptic message in stride and paused to inspect her. Though she looked as she did the last time they had met, she was definitely different this time.

Although he had missed it at first glance, he could see with amazing clarity the numerous injuries that marred her once gentle features. A cut here or there, a bruise or abrasion… along with a general tired appearance. What's more… it seemed as though her spark was missing. As though she had lost something close.

"Then you're from the future?" Eriol asked hesitantly, though not missing a beat. He eyed her right hand and got a chill. Whatever it was, she had crafted something that betrayed her true strength, and even in this weakened state, knew her to be a determined warrior. "And those injuries… you haven't… they haven't…"

"Maybe. But why would I?" Her eyes narrowed as she looked into his. "What could possibly drive me across time to find you? What is it you are afraid to ask… Eriol?"

"I-" He looked away, a note of shame on his face. "It's not a matter of bravery at this point."

"No…" Sakura added thoughtfully. "I suppose it isn't. But to answer the questions unasked, yes. I have. And they have as well." She traced a finger along one of the cuts and then looked off into the distance. "And yes… when they get here… oh yes, they'll get here, they'll be after your blood."

A look of shock crossed Eriol's face at her cruel laugh, before taking his standard solemn expression.

"Oh…"

He looked at her.

"When they get here… those hunters… I fully expect you to give it to them."

A questioning look formed on his face, but he still said nothing.

"So as I was saying," stated Sakura in a much more calm voice, "when the shadow falls, you will die."

Eriol went to say something else, but before he could, she vanished completely. Pulled from this time space by the power of the Return card.

With a hurt expression, he put his hand to his chest pocket and pulled the picture out.

This time, in the light, the full picture was revealed. In it, Kaho had her arm around him, and both of them were smiling.

He sighed longingly. Such it had been… their relationship since so long ago. And it was thanks to Clow Reed.

They had been so close, despite the age difference. It didn't matter though. He had always loved her.

And she him.

Since her disappearance, he didn't know what to do. He couldn't accept the possibility… but he knew it likely. Especially now that Sakura had confirmed that his location was known and that they had ventured onto English soil knowing it.

Maybe this would be for the best.

* * *

"Or at least to them and us." Sakura finished. "Ah!" 

Eriol was gone!

No, he wasn't gone. She had. With the power of the return card.

"Shit!"

It was already dark! She was out of time!

With frantic eyes she looked around. But everything was normal. She could see Eriol and the others inside the house.

_What the hell?_

Then it hadn't happened? Why weren't they here?

Nothing made sense. But she knew she couldn't just leave. It she did, maybe they'd come later… and then she wouldn't know until later… but then would things happen right? Spinel said it was twilight… not dark.

This was all wrong!

Then it hit her.

She ran out of time because of the Return card. But she couldn't let that guide her any longer. She had to use the Time card… and use it carelessly. She had to let the energies slip.

She would create the necessary paradox.

It all made sense now. She would use the Time card and travel back to the afternoon. In that way, she'd both give time to herself, and alert the hunters to Eriol's position, as well as give them ample time to converge upon this location. So in essence of everything… it was her fault.

From the beginning.

Somehow it all became clear to her. It wasn't the hunters driving this agenda at all. It had been her all along.

A smile crept over her face at the realization.

She could do this now. Suddenly… all things had become possible. After all, it was her game.

Now… to assemble the players.

"Time!"

* * *

Spinel looked at Eriol with a frustrated expression. 

"I just don't understand you Eriol. You've not been yourself from this morning, and now you can't make me concentrate. Well then, I'm going out to gather more information." He transformed into his normal self, and padded up the stairs. At the top he turned around and looked down. "Don't expect me for a few hours."

With that he was gone.

Without the determination to keep him confined in the cellar by himself, Eriol ventured up the stairs and into the sitting room.

It was a nice day. Even with Sakura's news hanging over him, he couldn't deny the pleasantries it offered. Uttering an overwhelmed sigh, he sank back into one of the chairs he had always loved. Behind him, wearing a look of concern was Nakuru.

"What's wrong Eriol? You haven't looked this way since 'that' time. And she's fine now."

"Is she?" He mused. "I somehow am under a different impression."

Nakuru frown. "Sometimes I never know about you. Maybe the current activities have been a bit pressing. But I doubt they'd confront you openly. At least with your wards, they won't target Sakura. So she's safe."

"At least for now."

Sakura dropped her stealth and came into plain view before the both of them, causing a shock in which caused Nakuru to drop the dishes she was carrying. Even Eriol, who had seen her before was surprised. And before either could get a word in edgewise, she spoke again.

"But after tonight, I'm counting on it."

"Sakura?"

She looked at Nakuru simply.

"That's right." She wore a satisfied grin and looked almost intimidating. "And it's lucky that you're here, because you're crucial in this as well."

"In what?"

But Sakura had no immediate reply. Instead, she smiled.

* * *

"Impossible!" 

Nakuru reacted in a way that Sakura had almost counted on.

She had been mostly quiet throughout the discussion of the plan and had kept her tongue to herself, but with three hours to sunset, Nakuru had a lot to digest in such a short time. Eriol, in the meantime had been the opposite, and digested the information in a way that was much more to her expectations. Both however, had a lot to think about.

"It is possible." Stated Sakura calmly. "Because in my view, it's already been done. After all, it was Eriol who told me about it in the first place… just not directly."

Eriol nodded thoughtfully. "I see."

"So how are we going to pull this off?" demanded Nakuru.

Sakura smiled. She seemed amused by some unsaid joke.

"That's easy enough. Just touch this." She offered her glove, and held it between them.

Instead of touching it, Nakuru pushed back her chair a little while Eriol didn't move at all. Both just seemed to contemplate the repercussions from such and act. Then hesitantly, Eriol stuck out his hand and touched it.

Nothing happened.

"Come on, you too Nakuru."

"No thanks." She eyed Sakura carefully, as though inspecting a dangerous animal. Striking a definitive position, she settled back in her chair without further interest.

Sakura sighed. She looked to Eriol and shook her head. "It's ok, you can let go."

Eriol nodded, and started to remove his hand when he caught Sakura's eyes.

With a jerk of only her eyes, she motioned to the reluctant Nakuru. He followed her eyes and nodded. Then, he withdrew his hand as though nothing had happened.

"I guess not…" said Sakura with a note of sadness. "It's for the best, can't you trust that?"

Nakuru shook her head. "Sakura… If you are so powerful, why not just help us now to stop them here?" Sakura raised her head. "Between you and Eriol, you can defeat these… these 'hunters' and then you can go home. And we wouldn't need to do this from the beginning."

Sakura nodded sadly. "It would be nice… but..."

"But she can't." Said Eriol firmly. "If she did, it she wouldn't exist any longer, and the future in which she could come back to us would disappear. In truth, such a move would be pointless for her, and fatal for us. Then she wouldn't have any warning at all, and we would force the world into their hands. Plus…" he added sadly. "I don't think she would survive even if she could work the details."

Nakuru huffed. "Why do you say that? She-"

"She's missing a piece of herself. Part of her soul…" Eriol looked at Sakura sadly. "Isn't that right?"

"Heh… just more of my inexperience shining through. That's ok though. Next time I'll-" Sakura stopped suddenly and clutched at her heart in pain.

"Sakura!" Nakuru jumped up and hurried over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

Sakura merely waved her off and attempted to break away, but couldn't seem to gather herself.

"Sakura."

Eriol stood as Nakuru's hand slid off. It was clear to him that this wasn't a planned occurrence, but it just might work to what would come regardless. With a look of pure concern, he grabbed her hand.

Suddenly, his eyes shot open.

"Eriol… what are y-" Next, his hand went to his mouth as a shocked expression crossed his face. Meanwhile, Nakuru just smiled.

She looked perfectly calm and then lifted her own hands as though to examine them. "So this was your plan… wasn't it? Sakura."

Though Sakura was still doubled over in pain, she couldn't help but smile. The impulse was just too strong. "Nakuru… that… that's your body now, so you'd best take care of it."

Eriol still looked shocked. "My… my body? What did you do?"

Nakuru laughed a little. "The Change card. That's what. Like it or not Nakuru, that's my body, just as yours is mine."

Over her fit of pain, Sakura stood and flashed a dark smile. "I hope those years of acting start to come back. Because you'll need it."

* * *

Roughly one week later...

* * *

"And what happened after that?" Tomoyo asked. 

Everyone was quietly waiting for Sakura to continue her story. It was difficult for her to do so, but everyone waited patiently as she gathered herself. Just the memory of the pain seemed to cause a reoccurrence.

When it looked like she was having too much trouble, Eriol stepped in.

"Once we managed to calm her down enough to get used to the plan, Nakuru agreed to be the messenger as Sakura remembered her. Then, Sakura used the Create and Voice cards to create different bodies and change our voices. She also used the Illusion card to project images that suited how people remembered us."

"Meaning what exactly?" Tomoyo asked, much calmer than before. Her tears now dried in the cool night air.

"That even if we moved in a way not typical of our form, Illusion would cast an image more typical of the way our movement was meant to be." Offered Ruby Moon. "Then, I fled the house, powerless, and intercepted Spinel, saying that Eriol told me to flee."

"Yes, she left." Stated Sakura. "Then I used Transfer to give Eriol some of my memories, in which he could use as a road map. It also gave him the data on which hunter he would need to come in contact with. From there, I conjoined the effects of Transfer and Change and using my advanced control, enabled delayed effects, so I could switch the minds and then the knowledge of the hunter, directly at a single command as I remained hidden from detection." She let out a laugh and then shook her head.

"To have watched that, you can trust me when I say that the whole thing wasn't pretty." Then she couldn't help but grin, even though it wasn't appropriate for the situation.

"Then what?" Kero prompted.

"Then, the hunter, Ka-sari, was switched to Nakuru's original body and it was killed. After that, Eriol disappeared with the hunters and I-"

"Wait, what about the staff… Eriol's?" Kero prompted. "I thought it was destroyed. And that's why the data was destroyed."

Sakura inclined her head. "Remember the toothpick?" A dim recollection crossed his face. "I created a staff for Eriol to use. Then I charged it until I felt weak. I had to make it look and act the part. In doing so, the data was destroyed. But it was worth it.

"Knowing full well of the consequences of that, I did it regardless. Then I waited a bit longer before making my own journey. Eriol was now "dead" and Nakuru and Spinel would be coming back, so I had to make myself scarce.

"Also, because of my need for creating the necessary time paradox, I had negated the effects of the Return card, and I was stuck in the past. So that you know, that was just about a week ago. And now, here I am."

"A week?" Pondered Tomoyo aloud. "What did you do for a week?"

"Everything." Sakura frowned. "I did everything I could.

"I watched everybody doing the things that they had to, shielded people when they were in danger before my memory showed an interaction. I saved a few people from harm's way, but mostly… I watched… and I waited. In that time, I learned.

"When it got closer to when I left, I began to trail "Ka-sari" a little closer, and then we both conspired together to eliminate Hiru. Though, the transfer needed bore results far more destructive than what I could imagine."

"What results?"

Sakura looked at Syaoran who had remained mostly quiet for the entire time. Unable to answer, she merely looked to Eriol, and he took over.

"Sakura had already given away a piece of her soul. In order to fight more efficiently, she needed a temporary balance. In essence… she siphoned it from Hiru himself… not only gaining his understanding of power and the ways and uses that were far beyond what Sakura knew, but by touching his darkness, it infected her with it. It filled the emptiness within her. Now she's tainted… possibly forever."

"In short," said Sakura as she ignored their looks of concern, "his evil is my evil. His darkness is my darkness. And most of all, his power, has given me insight to a path that may spell out our victory. Though, I don't want to retain it… I actually did try to rid myself of the darkness… but that didn't work."

Tomoyo looked shocked. It was hard to see how the sweet Sakura could possibly be anything but… though, as it was, it seemed all the more sensible.

"But how did you-?"

"How did I try?" Sakura asked amused. "That's easy. I reclaimed my soul from my reflection. But you knew that already." She turned and started to walk away, then looked back over her shoulder. "Also… it didn't work. But there's still one way. To eliminate the hunters."

"Which doesn't sound like a bad idea, eh Sakura?" Eriol asked though he looked as he already knew the answer.

Without a reply, Sakura and he walked forward in a 'V' direction. When they had reached a certain distance apart, they stopped and began some awkward looking hand gesturing and silent mumbling. As they did, the air between them began to distort and ripple, and a wind began to pick up from seemingly nowhere.

"What the-?" Kero started. "What are you guys doing?"

Eriol looked to Kero and smiled. "Nothing that you won't be able to distinguish for yourself soon enough."

"Wait… about earlier… before you explained everything… what about the thing Eriol mentioned before… about the air 'looking' dangerous?" Kero asked in a panicked voice as he looked at the distorting air. "Is this… what did he mean?"

"That…" Sakura began before shaking the hair from her eyes. "What he meant, was what I was trying to explain before." The wind continued to build and whipped at her hair, putting it in her eyes once again. Though this time she did not bother to rid herself of its presence. Instead, she turned and looked at Eriol.

He nodded, and she continued.

"That we are running out of time."

* * *

A/C (10/25/05): Sorry for the delay. I had a lot of distractions and writer's blocks since the last chapter. Looks like I might not finish on schedule with my goal. Well, I'll definitely finish in November.  



	30. Return to Tokyo

Chapter 30: **Return to Tokyo**

"That we are running out of time."

The words hung thick in the air as Sakura and Eriol went into their final preparations for whatever they had been working on.

Together, they acted as one, and split the fabric of the air.

Between them, a great chasm opened up in empty space to form what looked to be a gateway to the void. It was the cause of the sudden change of weather and a source of the sense of foreboding and an intense discomfort. Reluctantly, Tomoyo felt herself being pulled towards its empty maul.

"What is it?" she asked white in the face.

"This? This is our pathway."

When Sakura's answer didn't help her, she looked to Eriol, who smiled.

"It's something the hunters use every time they shadow-shift, but on a much more impressive scale to allow all of us passage."

Not sure if she understood entirely, Tomoyo nodded and shrank back. "I see."

"Well then," said Eriol in a jubilant voice, "are we ready to go?"

"Where?" asked Tomoyo still unsure of the passage.

"Tokyo… of course." Sakura stated blandly.

"Wait."

Sakura looked to her brother, who was coming forward.

"What about our father? Are we really going to leave him without warning? And wouldn't he want to know that you are alive?"

"Heh…" Sakura laughed with a touched of darkness she had inherited from the hunter. "He already knows."

"What?"

"He has for a week. Who do you think has been helping him with the research? Not to mention keeping him safe."

Before anyone else could put in their thoughts, she spoke again, this time forcibly.

"Enough! This wears an already thin patience. And we're out of time."

To put emphasis on her words, the vast portal began to waver and the pull became stronger. In the distance, illuminated only by a few street lights, trees were already beginning to bend and newspapers and other debris had been sucked in. Other things had begun inching their own ways toward the gateway, and just standing near it was getting dangerous.

"Trust us!" Yelled Eriol over the winds. "But you need to go, hurry!"

Without delay, Ruby Moon was the first to jump into the vortex.

There was a briefly squelching noise as the time/space bended around her, but in the next instant she was gone.

Seeing that, Spinel followed, with Kero and Yue close behind. When they had passed, Touya guided an uncertain Tomoyo through, while Syaoran followed up the rear. Just as the others went through, he paused.

He turned to address Sakura.

"Though I'm happy to see you again, I don't know you anymore. This isn't over between us." Then, with that note of bitterness, he ran into the portal.

When he was gone, Sakura turned to Eriol.

"On three?" she asked without any apparent emotion wasted on Syaoran's comment.

Eriol gave a nod. "On three…"

"Two…"

"One!"

With that, they both dashed through, just as the portal collapsed around them.

In seconds it was gone and a peace returned to the region. Just as though it had never been in the first place.

And for the first time that night, the air was calm.

* * *

In a deserted streetscape of Tokyo, all was quiet. 

Though most of the nightmarish happenings had ceased the night before, the city was still under a strict curfew, and now everything was still. As requested by the city authorities, as well as those authorities of the country, police and special enforcement teams were now scouring the area. Determined to find the source of the troubles, they had been searching since before the leave of twilight.

Even now, they searched.

Gun at the ready, one such person combed the streets on his own.

He and his partner had decided to split temporarily, and take the different allies of neighboring streets, just to hasten the process. At any sign… any at all, they were to quickly notify each other, and then the rest of their unit, as well as all enforcements in the city.

It just so happens, that not one had tripped a single warning. Such in his mind, was a good thing.

The young enforcer was lucky tonight. Of this night, and last, not a single disturbance had occurred, and it looked as though tonight would yield the same. He felt very lucky indeed.

Suddenly, an eerie feeling crept through his bones. In a panic, he swung around, just to see…

…nothing.

He couldn't see anything at all.

With uneasiness, he sighed. It must have been his imagination.

Then he stopped.

What was this… feeling? As though a sudden foreboding had grabbed a hold of him. As well as an intense discomfort.

Frantic, he swung around again.

This time, the air down the street seemed to give up a dark secret, as an unnatural wind picked up on a perfectly calm night. And the air itself began to ripple… almost like water.

Thoroughly spooked now, he raised his gun, and his finger at the trigger, while his other hand eased over the button that would alert his partner and his unit.

Still, he had to wait.

Then, just as that thought settled in, the air split open, as would a gateway to the nether, and a buffet of wind burst forth, knocking him off balance, and his relay device free from his hand.

With frantic eyes, he'd never forget what he saw next.

From just behind the wind, emerged a beautiful woman with startling features and it wasn't possible… but were those giant butterfly wings?

So caught by her beauty, he didn't notice the glow that came from her hands, nor did he register the spike that knocked his gun aside. A gun that he flung himself at when he saw what emerged next.

Two beasts with wings, and a man with wings.

He frantically fumbled with his weapon as what looked to be three humans, followed… one with a huge sword. And to finish, came two other people, and a storm of papers as whatever it was they had come from closed behind them with a dangerous sound. Unable to comprehend further, he did what came as natural, and pulled the trigger.

As he shot wildly, the last girl to have jumped out leapt through his hail of bullets, ducked under his fire height, and then knew nothing else.

* * *

The others watched with horror as the man opened fire, then in a flash, Sakura had jumped into that stream of bullets, crouched low, and then before they knew it, proceeded to land three hits upon him. One in the gut, one in the chest, and an uppercut to the chin. Then, before he collided with the wall, she got behind him and eased him down to the ground, resting his head against the building. 

Satisfied, she got up and started walking over to the others, collecting the stationary bullets from the air as she went, dropping them to the ground behind her.

"Nice…" said Eriol beaming. It was obvious that the part of him that was Clow was immensely proud. "So what do you call that?"

"A combination of the heightened forms of Move and Time. I used Move to locate the bullets and extract the majority of their momentum, and then to keep them from going anywhere, I used an isolation method of Time. And I used Dash to heighten my ability to act faster. That's all."

"Nevertheless… a feat that is all too impressive." Impressed Eriol. "The old Sakura could have never done such."

"The old Sakura doesn't exist anymore… sadly enough." Stated Sakura with only a hint of sadness. "But she may return after the fact."

Her eyes briefly flashed to the others who all wore looks of astonishment and shock due to the scale of her new powers, but she ignored them. Gawking had its time and place, and currently, her internal conflict wouldn't even permit enjoyment in seeing such looks. To do otherwise would just end up costing more time.

With searching eyes, she looked up to the sky. It seemed normal enough to the common eye, but to her, she was searching, seeing what only she and few others could.

Equally concerned, Eriol did the same. Together, they seemed to reach the same conclusion.

"It seems as though time is in our favor for once… it's not here yet." Said Eriol simply.

"And that's a good thing for us." Stated Sakura just as simply.

Tomoyo wasn't sure about either of them at the moment, but was confident that she could trust them… it just wasn't like them to hold back and be as reserved as they were.

"Then we can assume that they aren't moving as yet." Eriol thought aloud. "That's good then… right now we couldn't face them with the unity we must have. After all, too much has been dumped on them at once."

"Yes." Agreed Sakura.

"Then what shall we do?" asked Eriol to Sakura.

She looked around, and then settled her eyes on the young enforcer she had knocked out. Then her eyes went searching in other directions. Finally, after a couple minutes not speaking, Eriol's question hanging on the air, she responded.

"Go. We should go, leave this place in favor of another… one off the streets preferably. Maybe to my and Tomoyo's apartment?"

"Yes… that would do. You have the wards up then?"

"Yeah…" she replied to Eriol, though she was looking off in another direction. "Yeah… that would be best. They don't have enough to attack tonight, but that will change come morning… but they won't move then. That should give us the time we need. Plenty of time. To tell them what we know… to lay down the rules… and to oufit them properly."

Ignoring the questioning looks, Eriol agreed. It would be best.

For the assembly of wits was crucial for their success.

"Then it's settled. We'll return to our place tonight, and by tomorrow evening, the last battle will begin. But before all that…

"We'll tell them everything."

* * *

A/C (10/28/05): Just to clear things up... 

Anine Flower, I know you are curious about the soul situation, and I did explain, but it was easy to lose the explanation along the way. So, when Sakura used the Transfer card to give her reflection every memory and personality trait she needed in order to act out the dream, Sakura accidentally dipped too far within herself, and transfered part of her soul to Seisatsu (which in japanese means 'reflection'). It was simply her inexperience that resulted in that. So in essense, Seisatsu became a Horcrux in a way, but a temporary one.

When Sakura journeyed back in time, and all the way until the afternoon before the contents of the dream came true, she was missing part of her soul. In order to function as the hunter, she and Eriol (as Ka-sari) ambushed Hiru, and she used the Transfer card on him to extract his memories and powers. Still inexperienced, she siphoned part of his soul in the process, filling the void of her own soul.

The problem this creates is a Sakura with a hybrid soul. That is why she can't show her normal emotions and tends to fancy the darkness of every situation. However, when she visits the grave of 'Sakura' she draws the power of the card from the earth, and it takes her shape because it is representing a piece of her soul. Then she re-absorbs both the power of the card and her soul.

This in turn causes her pain because now she has her soul, and part of another within her. That is why she suffers even more now. So, her only chance of returning to her normal self is to destroy the hunters for good. And even that may not work entirely since the soul extraction was more magically based than anything else.

Hope that helped.

P.S. - if the glove is confusing you, it has all the cards around the central axis, that were made small by the Little card. With the runes as well as the advanced magical knowledge she took from Hiru, she is incredibly powerful now. And the rest you'll have to find out.


	31. Assembly of Wits

Chapter 31: **Assembly of Wits**

Without incident, it was a quick return back to Sakura's apartment. In its entirety, the whole trip was done under a half hour. When they were all inside, Sakura rechecked the wards and added a few enchantments of her own making, before they settled down into relatively comfortable positions throughout the living room.

"Now…" Touya started. "Where were you...? Oh yes, you were going to tell us everything."

"That we were." Stated Eriol, looking pleased. Both he and Sakura were strangely giddy, though for Sakura, the giddiness was borderline scary.

"And so we shall." He looked at Sakura, who had refused sitting on the account that she could not do so in comfort. "Right?"

"Of course. And to start… we'll build the hunters as they are, for later on, that is how we will destroy them."

The others looking uneasy about her wording, and Kero seemed the first to voice his concern.

"Wait… what do you mean? By saying, 'build' a hunter?"

"Not literally of course." Shot an annoyed Sakura, her darkness getting the better of her. "Analyze. Finish what we started by telling you what items they have, and how they use them, and how we will turn that knowledge into our advantage."

"Ouch…" Kero said as he flinched. She truly was more violent.

Sakura looked momentarily hurt, before it vanished just as quick, as though it had never occurred.

"I apologize… but you'll have to live with me until the end."

She paused and took a moment to regain her composure before starting anew.

"As I was saying… I was with my father a large portion of the time before watching over you. He was a good actor, and together, we only released bits of the assembled information, due to what my memory allowed. In that way, you would only know so much. It was necessary.

"In actuality, we had finished most of the artifact lists and their magical attributes. Whatever holes there were, Eriol and I found out about afterwards. At least before we had him and Nakuru exchange places again, but that's history that is already past.

"I believe Eriol can supply the details a bit better than I, as well as what goes with which hunter."

"Thank you, Sakura." Eriol said as he stood and crossed the room to stand before them, while Sakura merely moved off to the side.

"Now then… to date, you have discovered several artifacts that the hunters use. I feel that it is pointless to just start there, and instead, I will address the general items first, and then the personal ones.

"First item, one in which you all know has a detrimental affect upon Sakura's Time card, is the Egyptian Sundial. Between us, Sakura and I have determined that each hunter possesses exactly three grouped numbers of the split dial, of which their leader, Vijari, has the center. Though, even to exchange the pieces from their hands to ours, does not guarantee that the card will be of use. I feel, personally, that in our hands, the close proximity will merely negate the power regardless."

"So time isn't an option?" asked Touya. "So what good is it to strip them of their pieces?"

Annoyed Sakura shook her head. "Possibly no good… but if nothing else, it would be a mental strike. Besides, the less power in their hands, the better. Strip enough items away, and their hold over their forms should weaken.

"Save your questions from now on." She admonished coldly. "I don't want to waste our time repeating myself. Continue… Eriol."

Eriol nodded curtly, then continued.

"Very well… next item: The Crimson Resonating Obsidian Shadow Slider, or C.R.O.S.S. It was a very old necklace dating back to the formation of the early Shadow Mage Clans that came well before the onset of Christianity. These clans were the first to recognize the power one can generate from the cross shape.

"Basically, it used to consist of simple pieces of polished obsidian strung together with any fine-chain link, with a bloodstone cross attached. The blood was often acquired from the dark rituals performed, and set with different properties… some quite random. This C.R.O.S.S. however, echoes the dark natures of the formed obsidian that often was collected from the subterranean ritual sites.

"Apparently, this particular necklace allows the holder to "slide" through shadows at will. In a sense, allowing for instantaneous teleportation. It is clear that each hunter must possess at least one piece of obsidian, while their leader maintains the cross itself.

"That ends the split artifacts."

Eriol paused briefly to catch his breath, and Kero almost made the mistake of asking something. A quick glance of harshness from Sakura made him hold his tongue.

Refreshed, Eriol continued.

"Now, you already know that Shi has the bones of the Carpathian Mountain Sorcerer and that is how he retains his cold powers. The suit he wears was actually never classified exactly, since it was a recently discovered item, but know that it not only does as Spinel speculated once, but has other attributes.

"In its totality, it is of greater power than the bones alone, since the suit not only adds strength and cold resistances to the wearer, but enhances the level of control and amplification of the items in possession. And unfortunately, it isn't removable once on. Our only fortune is that the other items cannot reside within the confines of the suit.

"Faski, as he is, possesses two additional items as well, and neither lacking. The first is his weapon itself. The Amazonian Fire Stick, or as it is known here, the Faia Sutekki. Data on it suggests that to activate it, it needs to be brushed or impacted. When such happens, the stick responds by way of projected fire. That is why whenever he would block a sword-strike, that it looked as though he was launching a fire based attack. Though with most attacks, it looked as though he wielded a spinning disk which he never touched, but this in fact, just confirms the use of his second item, the Ieiunium-manus' Silicis. This is the item that grants him superhuman speed with his hands, though, it's likely that this item is a jewel inset into his staff cover, which contains both items of his power. Part him from his weapon, and the fight is to your favor.

"Then there is who I'm very familiar with, Ka-sari."

He gave a very un-Eriol like grin and closed his eyes with a sigh.

"Ka-sari is trouble because while he does have two items, he also possesses his choice of weapons; the blades, chains, and spikes… with their delivery system. Unfortunately for me… and the rest of us as well… I did not gain access to every variety of attack he had at his command. Though what I did find out was pretty useful.

"His items are an agility enhancer, the Sedo Rörlighet, and the metal regenerator, the Sedaria Metalous. The former is set under his forearm plate, it is just a forearm guard that was enchanted to give the user extra edge for what would otherwise be blunt attacks. The latter is a plate guard set over his heart. That in particular is problematic… due to the-

"Well, I'll get to that in a moment."

He looked to Sakura who merely nodded.

"Then there is Hiru, who Sakura learned well about. Hiru's main item is the Naraku Hiru, which is what allows him to steal the magics of others. Unfortunately, we are unable to obtain that particular magical faction due to the fact that it resides under his skin as a charged dye that makes up the tattoo on both his hand, and the one on his back, which you don't know about. Both marks allow him to absorb and re-channel.

"His secondary item is actually non-existent. It's possible that it did exist at one time, but it has long since been absorbed. Thankfully for us, that is one less worry… item-wise. The problem comes in the fact that the ability he gains is one that allows for the storage of vast quantities of energy.

"Now for the last… Vijari… leader of the hunters and the only true survivor of his clan. He is the worst, even when not fully guarded, which we can expect him to be quite often now that I'm in the open once more. What's more, we aren't certain, but he may have three or more items in addition to the control pieces of the broken artifacts.

"One item he must have is an energy converter. We haven't seen him use it for his mounted weapon yet, but it is plausible conjecture that he should be able to fire bolts of highly concentrated energy from the crossbow apparatus mounted on his forearm. The proof that we know of its existence is his ability to convert soul into physical form.

"Another possible item is one that amplifies his natural battle prowess. He'll use this with the sword that he keeps on his back. I doubt that he can do more than melee with it, but its best to remain careful.

"Lastly… for now at least, is his most dangerous possession. The Soul Asylum.

"The Soul Asylum contains every soul of the clan Zeneiya from the past to the moment of the final slaughter. However… the power of the asylum alone wasn't strong enough to work from a distance, and skin contact would suggest something other than a charged item… so possibly a jewel of some sort. Location is the key… and since we don't know the specifics, when the time comes it'd be best to leave him to me."

Eriol sighed and tossed aside the items list he had been glancing at. He wore a very serious face and the sight of it made Sakura grin. She liked the committed challenge Eriol was making to the hunter.

"When that time comes, we'll take him down together…" Sakura said simply. "After all, I know what you're getting at. And I think we should pass it on before I outfit them. Besides… I don't want them to charge in half-assed and get us killed."

Eriol turned and frowned.

"Come now Sakura. That was just a bit harsh, even for how you are now. Despite everything, we're still a team."

Sakura took his look without reply, yet it was clear from her expression she could care less.

"Still… she is right about one thing. We wouldn't want careless accidents. That is why I must impress upon you this single rule… Whatever you do, do not, I repeat; do not attempt to destroy a charged item. Just slight impacts are bad enough; I'd hate to imagine the resulting force of one if it takes damage. Especially considering…"

"Considering… what?" Tomoyo asked sheepishly. Of all of them, she had been the happiest to see Eriol again, though she normally would never admit it. Even now, deep within her voice, there was a hint of her thoughts.

Thoughts that pointed to a self weakness…

Eriol regarded her softly. He knew that most explanations were up to him alone, as Sakura had her own worries at present. But still… he could only hint at it at best.

"Considering your actions along side us. That is… if you want to fight."

Tomoyo looked shocked.

"I… I can fight?"

"Of course. It just depends on whether you want to or not."

"I…" started Tomoyo, "I do… want to… but how?" She straightened and took a stronger stance. "I want to… I do! But I can't… can I? After all, I don't have anything to offer."

"Then that's all that's needed… is it not?"

Tomoyo watched as Sakura came closer, examining her eyes.

"The strength of fighting is all easily acquired. It's the desire to do so that is the critical part." Sakura trailed her eyes across all the guardians and the three humans besides Eriol and herself. "I believe it's simple reasoning to conclude that if you wish to fight, the others do as well."

She smiled darkly.

"So… three there are, but even with the talents of the one," her eyes moved over Syaoran but did not pause, "the three shall fall without power's aid.

"And that… that won't do."

Ignoring their questioning looks, she turned to Eriol.

"How much time until it arrives?"

"It should be here by the afternoon. Which is less time than we expected to have."

Sakura looked downcast for a moment and nodded. Then without a reply, she whispered something unrecognizable over her glove. It seemed as though the air hesitated a moment, then a soft glow overtook her right hand.

Whatever she had done, it made the air feel thick, and the hairs on the back of their necks began to stand on end as a tingling sensation ran through them.

"What the-?"

"Who-?"

"Eh?"

But the various surprised questions did not phase Sakura. She merely closed her eyes as Touya, Syaoran, and Tomoyo expressed different levels of discomfort.

Then as instantly as it began, it stopped.

A silence took them over and they did not register that it was only them standing there with Sakura, as Eriol had already led the others to Sakura's room. No, their sole attention was on Sakura, who seemed in a trance. Then, without opening her eyes, she began to speak in a far off tone.

"If darkness sets… the battle will consume. If the guardians fall, we are doomed. Together they cannot stand… and nor shall we. That is why each is needed and the time is now.

"To become a power that will serve when darkness sets and when the winds of change converge. That is what is required. That is what we shall expect.

"To the powers three, let the forces be. To each their own, and to be therein known. By swiftness, by might, and by light, set forth the forces right!"

A harsh glow illuminated her face as three balls of incandescent energy floated from her glove and hung momentarily high in the air. Spacing out as were the three they stayed before. Then they stopped as though waiting for something.

"You wish for the power with which to fight, do you not, Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo locked her eyes on Sakura's. Despite everything that had happened… despite the coldness, she knew her still. She trusted her. And she had made her decision.

"I do."

Sakura smiled.

"Then your choice carries the weight for the others." Sakura paused and took a breath as the air around her began to resonate with the magical energies from the balls of light. "Establish the alliance… and gain the powers of a card bonding!"

Immediately, there was a bright flash of light as the three balls shot into each of the three and with their own varied shouts of surprise, they immediately collapsed to the floor. There was a brief moment where they began trembling as the energies took hold, but it quickly faded away.

With a look of satisfaction, Sakura gazed at the unmoving bodies of the three on the floor.

"Well," chimed Eriol as he returned to her side. "What should we do with this lot?"

"Leave them." Said Sakura coolly. "They'll need the room to sort things out. Hopefully they'll not be the worse for wear by dawn. Otherwise we'll be in over our heads.

"Come, let us strategize with our guardians. We'll tell them of what we can't tell the others. At least for the moment."

Eriol looked back at the three and then to Sakura.

"Yes… I suppose that is for the best."

They walked out of the room and into her bedroom, where the others would be waiting.

As the door closed behind them, Eriol let go one last whisper.

"…until tomorrow."

* * *

A/C (11/6/05): Sorry that took so long. I hadn't really finished putting together all the items and I was incredibly low on my levels of creativity this week. 

Avelyn Lauren: That was a very indepth thought process, and easily one of the largest reviews I've yet had. Though I haven't gotten around to your story yet, I'm sure you'll find interest in the next CCS story I have already in motion. But now, getting on to your review.

About the rules… actually, I've only broken one. The one about the souls. The beauty of the time paradox that exists in this story is an exception to the general rule, and is a bit backwards. When a paradox exists, it is a rule. There is no true beginning to a paradox… it just is.

The only way to break the rule is to shatter the paradox, by not re-establishing its continuation. Had Sakura just let the non-interrupted time segment flow, it would have resulted in her death instantaneous. After all, that Sakura would no longer exist. Then, Eriol would have no warning and he too would die. Then the entire course of the future would begin from the time that Sakura jumped into the past. At that exact moment, the moment before her arrival, that would be the modified continuum. And then there would be no point in this story except ending it early on.

Time travel is a tricky business.


	32. Cooperation

Chapter 32: **Cooperation**

Tomoyo felt her head ache as she swam through the distorted visions within her mind.

The last she had known was Sakura enlisting her help, as a fighter no less! Then, there was something about card bonding and before she knew it, a light overtook her and the pain made her lose herself. Ever since… she has seen nothing familiar… nothing sound… nothing right.

Why?

Why did she do it?

What was happening to her?

These were the incoherent thoughts running through Tomoyo's mind, though, less as concrete thoughts and more as questioning static. Then again… everything seemed like static now. Everything.

Snapping out of it, Tomoyo stood and shook her head. But with one look at her surroundings, she came to the realization that she didn't know where she was. Everything was alien to her.

All around her were strange plants and even the ground was peculiar. Every surface seemed to emanate a strangeness she wasn't used to. Every plant, every rock, everything had its own aura… its own energy. It was creepy.

Well, wherever she was, she needed to get back. What was this anyway? A feeling of dread crept over her, perhaps this was the hunters' doing… and if so, she was trapped!

In a fit of desperation, she tried to clear her eyes, and then thrust them to the sky for bearing… and was shocked by what she saw.

* * *

Touya groaned as he rolled onto his side. 

_What the hell?_

What was with his sister… even he didn't know.

Now her words were drifting back to him. 'To become a power that will serve when darkness sets and when the winds of change converge.'

He didn't understand.

Everything she said came in riddles. Even to the kid and their cousin she was vague. Then there was that strange energy discharge. What was it really? More importantly… where had it taken him?

* * *

Syaoran kept his eyes closed as he got to his feet. 

He had opened them before, but the sudden onset of dizziness forced them closed once more.

Hoping that had passed him, he opened his eyes only to behold a chaotic world.

Everything around him seemed to blur past him. It felt as though time was accelerated all around him, and he was just an ant on a busy freeway.

Alarmed, he reached for his sword, but felt only air as he went to grasp it.

His sword was gone!

* * *

Tomoyo looked on with disbelief as what she only could think of as sky behaved in a manner that made it anything but. If it was sky, it seemed to roll in on itself, fold into itself and reform. Also, there was lightning, but no ordinary amount. It wasn't only there, but almost as its own continuum, it blazed across the sky in dazzling aerial patterns never ceasing. It also tasted the landscape as it licked the surface of this world repeatedly in one reckless strike after another. Though beautiful, it was scary. 

She swallowed as a tingling swept over her, almost as though she were in a static field.

Then fear gripped her, hair standing on end… static… she was in a lightning strike zone!

Without thinking, she dived off to the side and rolled down an embankment just as a bolt of blazing electrical energy strike the ground where she had just resided seconds before.

It was too close.

Gathering herself, she got to her feet and dusted herself off.

Though the light was poor, save for the illuminated strikes around her, she appeared to be within a low valley, a chasm that did not see the lightning strikes as did the world above. She considered it a blessing. It was one less worry in a world full of troubles.

Determined to escape this place, she knew she had to move on. She had to find her way back home. With that in mind, she made her way down the path with caution, unaware that she was being watched from above.

* * *

Touya tried his best to get his bearings to determine his location, but try as he may, he was lost. 

In this barren, rocky landscape, there were few indicators of what and why he was here.

Dismayed, he stared at a cliff-face of sheer vertical rock. Above looked to be a continuum of rock, as the peak was well beyond the low cloud ceiling. While behind him, and to his sides, were gaping cracks from where the rock had slip from great earthquakes of either recent of distant past. Impossible to cross.

With a sigh, he looked for notches in the rock wall.

Like it or not, he was climbing.

With his start, he did not see a small imp-like figure watching him from beyond the rock gaps.

* * *

Syaoran cursed. 

If his sword was gone, he wasn't able to have access to his incantation papers.

With a hint of rage, he attempted to summon his Lasin board, but when he tried to call the power, he was only rewarded with empty air.

He swore again.

Where was this? He didn't know, but it was nauseating. Everything was speeding by almost as if he were viewing a world that a merry-go-round sees.

But if Sakura indeed sent him here, it couldn't be with negative intentions; no matter how she's changed… she wouldn't hurt him.

At least more than her harshness and secrets have.

Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves and closed his eyes.

There was bound to be a hidden secret to this place, something… an understanding…?

Then he felt it. It was somewhere off it the distance, but certainly present. There was something watching him.

* * *

An electric paw gripped the earth and its claws made the already charged ground ripple with lighted electro-statics. The ripples spread outward and down into the chasm where the girl was and beneath her feet. The ripples as they went, cast dancing shadows and made the air vibrate. 

With alarm, the girl whipped around, but stared at only empty space, for it was in the wrong direction.

Satisfied that it had eluded her, it uttered a low guttural growl, just to see her panic.

It was worth the endeavor, for upon hearing it, she started to run.

Good… it wished the pursuit.

* * *

The small figure beamed. 

The human had begun to climb the wall in front of it, and did not bother to look back.

It had gone unnoticed.

This was just as good… after all; it might be more fun this way.

Hurtling over the chasm it quickly clung to the wall and scaled it with a flash, making sure to brush the human with its wind as it went by. Then it quickly vanished from view beyond the cloud ceiling just as the human looked up after it.

It was not seen. But that was obvious.

Now for some fun.

* * *

Silent eyes watched the stationary human. 

It had expected something else, but when he arrived, the reaction it had expected was quickly replaced with a calm that was unprecedented. It was a bit annoying, for the human had its eyes closed. But still… it recognized this one.

This one was good.

Uncertain why, it decided to announce its presence with a purr.

* * *

Tomoyo panicked. 

Something was above her… behind her… something was out there.

She heard it… she could feel its malevolence. She could feel the air pulse and the ground tremble. It was a terrible feeling.

With no way to fight… with no idea of what she'd be fighting, she had only one last option.

To run.

And run she did.

Lightning strikes, pulsing surfaces, chasms, and stalking beasts… she was truly in a hellish place.

Suddenly, a loud responding crack split the air above her.

It sounded like a lightning strike, but sideways.

Then she caught it out of the corner of her eye. Something was there… above her. Something behind the rocky outcropping lining the chasm. Something glowing.

* * *

Touya felt the air breeze past him, then looked up in time to see the clouds part a bit and draw up the side. 

Something incredibly fast had just penetrated the ceiling.

Uncertain as to what it was, he decided it couldn't be good. But one thing was for certain, he couldn't hang out here. He needed to keep climbing.

Then with no warning, his hands began to tremble.

But it wasn't his strain responsible. The very rock was shaking. He was losing his grip.

Then it stopped. Just as sudden as it began.

He resumed climbing, determined to reach the ceiling if nothing else.

He stopped.

What was that?

The wall wasn't shaking, but he thought he heard a rumble… but distant this time…

There… it came again. Somewhere in the distance, like the rumble of thunder… but the sky beyond the fluffy white cloud ceiling was perfect blue, and clear. But there it was again.

Something was causing it.

Then something rained down on him.

He looked down on instinct and pressed against the cliff face, but kept his eyes open looking down, where he saw a thin line of dust trickle past him.

_What the-?_

He thrust his eyes up.

The rumbling increased, and prior to those distant sounds, the wall trembled.

Then it came again… the shaking from before, but more violent this time.

Then a feeling of dread clutched his heart.

He only had seconds to act.

* * *

Syaoran opened his eyes when he heard something that sounded like a purr. 

He knew that sound. He had heard it before.

He relaxed.

Though his stomach lurched, he held his ground.

There had to be a way beyond this.

He took a breath.

The thought was absurd… and the possibility would probably make him more sick than otherwise, but he had to try regardless.

He had to move with his surroundings… since they were all going the same way… spinning. Spinning around him.

He had to try. He had made his decision.

Summoning his strength, he launched into a tight spin moving in the same direction as the swirls around him.

Suddenly, his stomach relaxed a bit. Though he was wrong and some of the swirls only increased, he was right in the fact that the majority of the scenes and colors slowed. He could see again… to a degree.

Then as he was starting to slow, he saw what he had heard.

And he smiled.

* * *

The glowing behind the rock outcropping increased. 

Whatever it was that was pursuing her, it was getting closer.

Not wanting to see what it was, she tore her eyes away and kept running… running deeper into the chasm.

She closed her eyes and ran.

She knew it was there, that it wasn't far… but she had to get away.

Suddenly, pain ripped through her, and she grasped her shoulder as she tumbled to the ground.

With tears in her eyes, Tomoyo looked up and saw a piece of her shirt sleeve hanging from a piece of rock. Scared, she had run blind and right into the side of the chasm. She looked to the side… it was getting narrow.

Wiping away her tears, she looked at her shoulder and gave a nervous laugh.

It was only a scratch.

Relieved, she picked herself up from the ground and got to her feet.

She was ok… but not if she stayed here. Not if she didn't move.

Without looking back, she ran forward once more, into the narrowing darkness.

* * *

Touya didn't have time to think, but with all his might, swung to the side just as a series of medium-sized rocks rained down through the cloud ceiling. 

Luckily, they didn't hit his hands, but just the exertion was too much for his grip, and he swung dangerously by one arm from his only handhold.

He stared below him, and fear clung heavily to his heart.

He didn't want to die. And the fall would surely kill him.

Sweat rolled off his face as he strained to hold on.

Had he really climbed so high? The ground looked so far away… much further than it should be.

With a feeling of insignificance he gazed over the immense and desolate rocky wasteland that spread out before him… for seemingly infinite distance.

Then something else caught his eye. Were those boulders on the ground before?

It seemed as though they had just magically appeared.

Unless…

He stared up the rock face… and his brow narrowed.

* * *

Syaoran stopped spinning, and the world stopped spinning as well… or at least it merely slowed. 

He smiled as he knelt and spread his arms moderately, his palms up.

Again came the purr as a blur past by him.

"It's ok… I understand now," said Syaoran confidently. "So you can come out now… Dash!"

This time, a squeak came out, but from off to his side, and the cat-like Dash was there, looking as cute as ever.

It approached hesitantly at first, then strolled in front of Syaoran, and paused.

He relaxed, and Dash came closer.

Syaoran nodded to himself.

"I do understand. So let's go back… back to where the others are."

Dash mewed happily and then jumped into Syaoran's arms.

At the contact, the world became still, and everything started to fade away.

"Let's go, Dash, together."

In response, Dash licked Syaoran's face, and the two disappeared.

* * *

Tomoyo screamed as the ground blew apart just behind her. 

It had arrived… and it wasn't happy.

The beast was huge… much bigger than Tomoyo thought it was when she had seen the glow. And what's more, the beast was composed of pure electrical energy… and for some reason, was trying to kill her!

She screamed again as the dog… lion… whatever it was, slashed out and raked the rock, sending electrical fury bounding through the air.

However, she was safe… at least for now.

It was too big! It couldn't get through the narrow passageway.

Relieved, Tomoyo turned and fled.

Whatever this was, she wasn't about to give up… she would survive!

* * *

Touya thrust his hand through the dense cloud ceiling and was relived to find a handhold that he couldn't see otherwise. 

There were a few moments of more rock falls since the first, and the rumble wasn't thunder at all… it was all due to those boulders that kept falling.

But he had his doubts that all this was merely accidental.

With determination burning in his eyes, he pulled himself beyond the cloud layer and found himself at the top.

Renewed, he hoisted himself above the ledge and onto the cloud plateau that was the top.

Satisfied, he took a step forward, but retracted his foot when the ground gave beneath his foot. He watched as it eroded part of the ground he was on and continued to spill over the edge.

At least that explained the raining rock debris.

Looking forward, he could see that the ground was pock-marked with large gaping holes from where rocks had been extracted. No, not rocks… boulders.

And at the edge of the distant side, a small imp-like figure dressed in a frilly costume, holding one of the recently extracted boulders.

Surprised by his presence, it gave a child-like laugh and smiled.

"Eep!" it cried.

Then it lobbed the boulder at Touya.

* * *

Tomoyo gasped. 

It was the end of the line. Literally.

She had reached the lowest point of the chasm… and it was a dead-end.

With nothing left, she could only cry as the beast began to press through the narrow passage.

* * *

Touya swore as he hit the ground, the boulder just narrowly missing his shoulder. 

In the distance, he heard the ground rumble as it impacted.

With frantic eyes, he looked up with uncertain feelings.

But one thing was sure; he had to stop whatever that creature was.

Getting to his feet, he began running across the pock-marked ground with every intention of reaching his destination.

But as fast as he was, he wasn't fast enough.

With incredible strength, the figure hoisted another rock from the very ground and lobbed it at Touya's feet.

* * *

Tomoyo tried to press herself into the smallest space possible. 

She had never been this scared.

The beast had given up at its attempts to force its way through the rock, and instead had gone above her, and attempted to slide down… in which it was doing much better.

Unable to just give up and die, Tomoyo screamed and dashed forward, through the rocky crevice, and back into the open chasm space.

If she were to die, it would be on her feet.

* * *

Touya shuddered as the entire rock face on which he was standing began to break and crumble beneath his feet. 

Without thinking, he did what only made sense, and ran forward.

Though… it was not to be.

Before he could go much further, the entire portion on which he was running, slid off the cliff in one giant slab.

With a cry of desperation, he flung himself forward.

But it was too late.

And as the slab fell through the cloud layer, he let out a terrified cry and was lost to the white cloud nothingness.

* * *

Tomoyo ran. 

She could do nothing else.

And behind her, the beast was stuck!

It had tried… but she had lured it into a tight spot… one in which it couldn't escape.

She had succeeded.

* * *

"Eep?" 

The small figure looked into the cloud layer. Below it, the rumble of the rocks could be heard resounding off the cliff as they tumbled to the desolate lands below.

"Eep…"

It felt kind of bad.

After all, it was only trying to have a little fun.

With tears in its large eyes, it leaned over the edge and uttered its parting remark.

"eep."

Suddenly, a hand shot out of the clouds and grabbed it by the leg.

With terror, it looked through the momentary cloud gap at Touya as he swung with one hand clenching a crack in the wall face, and the other hand wrapped around the imp-like creature's leg.

"That's right…" said Touya with a fury untypical of him. "Eep!"

With a wild cry, Touya pushed off from the side just as the entire face crumbled, and pulled the creature with him.

Together, they plummeted through the empty air, with a mountaintop's worth of rumble above them.

With just seconds until impact, the creature gripped Touya tight, and they both disappeared, the rocks behind them smashing into the ground.

* * *

"NOOOOOO!" 

Tomoyo cried loudly to the air.

She had run until collapse, unable to go further.

There were tears in her eyes as she thought of all the happy moments of her life. And then of her friends. And then she thought of what she would leave behind.

"You won't take me!"

But the beast could care less. It merely watched her as she screamed. After all… it was the end.

Poised to attack, it crouched low, and then leapt.

"NOOOOOOO!"

* * *

Tomoyo's eyes flew open as she lay sideways on her and Sakura's living room carpet. 

As she did, an arch of circular lightning danced around her outer iris, then in four electric strands, flowed to the center of her pupil, where it glowed faintly, before it faded away.

With a start, she sprung up as the images from her mind sprung into her memory.

"No!"

Still in a sitting position, she tried to claw her way back from the beast in her mind. Then she bumped into something.

"NO!"

"Tomoyo!"

"NOOO!"

"Tomoyo," Syaoran said as he wrapped his arms around her front. "It's ok, it's ok." He said soothingly. He too was seated on the floor, and she had backed into him. "It's ok… really it is!"

"No… I don't want to… don't want to die."

Syaoran kept holding her as she tried to strike back her fears. Touya too looked stricken by his memories, but was gathering himself all the same.

"It's ok…"

Tomoyo closed her eyes and kept shaking her beautiful head side to side.

"I don't want to die…"

"That's right." Sakura said as she emerged from her room, with Eriol and the others in close tow. "Remember that feeling. It will keep you alive."

She looked over at the three of them, then nodded approvingly. "I'm sure it will help all of you. The experience earned is better than a lesson taught to perfection."

Tomoyo gazed up with hurt eyes. "Experience? What do you mean… you knew that would happen!" she fired accusingly.

Sakura shrugged.

"I knew that I was giving you what you needed based on your preferences. I didn't know what would happen once inside."

"What do you mean?" Asked Syaoran calmly. Out of the three, he felt that he understood the most, and he only needed to clarify. "…by inside?"

"The principles of Card Bonding." said Sakura simply. "I suppose you remember when the cards were free?" She asked rhetorically. It was impossible for them to forget. "Cards acted on their own… now they act through me, and the commands that are issued. However… this way, they can act with you. Based on how you need them.

"As this day goes on, you'll find out more about how to use them, since you've already had contact with them and they have accepted you."

Sakura smiled. "I would have warned you, but they requested that I didn't."

"C-cards?" Tomoyo stuttered. "Where… how…?"

"They're inside of you, as energy."

"Inside?"

"Of course." Answered Syaoran. "Otherwise, it would be hard for us to use them. And as energy, they can link with our minds."

"But which-?" Tomoyo started.

"-card?" Sakura finished. She wasn't really showing any emotion at this point. "Dash, Power, and Thunder. I hope I don't have to tell you who has what."

"No." stated Syaoran as he closed his eyes, as though looking into himself. "There's no need for that. I have Dash. I knew instantly."

"Then that imp…" spoke Touya for the first time since his awakening. "That was Power?"

Sakura nodded. "And Tomoyo's?"

Tomoyo was still griped by the fear of her memory.

"That… was Thunder? But… where was I? It was so scary."

"Ah…" Sakura looked thoughtful. "That… I wondered about that. I guess so then."

When nobody asked, she continued. "Those were the inner worlds of the cards. Each as their own world… suited to their personalities. All the cards have their own.

"But enough of this. Talk is wasted time unless you need to know something, and we'll discuss you're abilities after a time. What concerns our time is not your cooperation with the cards, but our strategies and plan of attack come this afternoon."

"This afternoon?"

"Yes. In just five hours… we'll be battling for the sake of everyone. Not just to ensure our survival…" stated Sakura gravely. "But to ensure the survival of the entire world…

"For if we don't stop the hunter's tonight, there... will be no stopping them."

* * *

A/C (11/8/05): Four chapters to go. The next three will be sizable. 

And I know there is some concern about Sakura and Syaoran's relationship... but I already have it factored in for later, so whatever happens, you'll find out soon... hopefully.


	33. Enmity

Chapter 33: **Enmity**

"Do you understand?"

The question came so suddenly after the revelation that there was no reply. It was hard to be ready without understanding. All in all… it was too much.

"B-but why… why can't we stop them?" Tomoyo asked timidly. Her normal level of independence and confidence was too mangled by emotion to shine as it once did. "I mean… just you and Eriol… surely…"

"Surely," started Sakura quietly. "But I'm sure you remember how distressed Eriol and I have been of late. I for my reasons and past experience, and Eriol for Clow's understanding of both it and the full intentions of the Zeneiya clan. All of it points to this one moment forth coming… the possibility of a cataclysmic reality… from that of a magic well unlike any other." Sakura gazed over to Eriol, and then lowered her voice.

"Eriol… why don't you tell them. Even as I am, I find it difficult to talk about."

Eriol gave a nod of understanding.

"Of course…

"I'm sure you all remember the calamity that so deeply wounded Sakura in the past?"

There were silent nods and faces of stricken memories. It was pointless to figure that they hadn't known.

"Well," continued Eriol. "One of these conflicts of energy… one of these magic maelstroms has been brought here. Only… I'm sorry, but I've already misled you. It isn't just one at all… in it are several."

"What?" asked Touya. After what happened to his sister then, he knew about the potential dangers as much as anyone else. The only reason he was spared was due to the fact that at that time, his magical abilities still resided within Yue.

"How is… how is that possible?"

Eriol looked to Kero.

"Kerberos… why don't you finish telling them about the rule of stones…"

Kero looked blank. "'Rule of stones'? What do y-" He stopped mid-thought. It was at that moment that he remembered. "You mean… 'Stepping stones'?"

Eriol smiled. "Precisely."

"Stepping stones?" Tomoyo mused. "What-?"

"One of the rules that I was telling Sakura about when Spinel first contacted us… before the rest of you had assembled. I was telling her about the history and of the magic wars… and of… the Clan Zeneiya…"

Kero shook his head. "But that's not the important part… what was-?"

Then it seemed to come to him. "Ah…

"I know now. The general rule concerning "Stepping stones" of magic… that magic likes magic… and only the large amounts are problematic because of the high concentration that cannot be absorbed, thus it seeks magic. So with each sequential thievery and charging of one of the items of magic, the energies would trip the leading edge of a system and then draw it along.

"Then… if each item/artifact acted as a "Stepping stone" in which the user could achieve a higher power, then the general rule states that while one 'stone' can lead to the use of magic, conflicting stones can lead to a balance upset. If you remember the three steps, the stones, the energy around us, the use of that magic through the stones, then you'd know that the hunters in their quest for power have not only assembled a dangerous collection, but have directly influence the natural energy distribution of the world."

Tomoyo frowned. "So what does that mean exactly?"

"That if they moved from one place to another, they left a trail for the energies to follow the already charged items." Kero said with awed terror. "If that's the case, then they have tapped into the main deposits of atmospheric magical potential.

"And with all of the activities of late… we've only helped it along." Kero hushed.

"DAMN IT!" Kero yelled in such a way that made some people jump. "Did they know? Was this their plan all along?"

Eriol placed a calming hand on his head. "Peace Kerberos. No, I don't think they knew what they had done at first… though, it might have been the energies of the micro-system that emerged here those years ago that first triggered their movement."

Then Eriol's face grew somber. "Though… even if they didn't know before, they have certainly incorporated it in their plans now. And being a clan of energy siphons…"

Eriol trailed off, not needing to say more.

"But… where do we start?" questioned Tomoyo. She was still trembling from her brush with Thunder. "How do we…?"

"Where is easy." Stated Sakura. "If you need to siphon energy from the sky, where is the best place to be? Up high, correct? Then, where in Tokyo do you think we should be?"

"Ah." Tomoyo started as the answer popped into her head. "That place… Tokyo Tower."

"Yes," affirmed Sakura. "It is the only logical place. As for how… I'll show you now."

* * *

Tomoyo looked to the sky, which was as uncertain as she. 

It was hard to imagine that there would be enough energy there to destroy everything she knew. She seemed the only one who was without the idea, as she was the only non-magic one of the group. But according to Eriol, everyone would see it before the day's end.

Also, though they had discussed the plan over and over, she still wasn't confident. Then there was the card within her… one which she still didn't know how to activate, though she could feel it there… nestled deep in the back of her conscious like an alien presence. It was easy to say that she wasn't comfortable with it being there.

She thought Sakura would have more to say… if not to her, at least to Syaoran, but of late… she seemed to be avoiding everyone.

Tomoyo frowned. She just wasn't ready…

"Tomoyo."

She looked up. Somebody was calling for her… but who?

"Eriol?"

"Hang in there." He said with concern. He must have noticed her down expression. "I know it's hard, but we'll all need to look out for each other once we get out there. Not only that, but Sakura wants to see you. She has one last thing she needs to do with you."

"Ah…" Tomoyo uttered disappointed. She had to admit… she had had her hopes up.

"Sure."

Without giving Eriol another glance, she made her way to where Syaoran and Touya had already gathered with Sakura.

"Sakura? I heard-"

"-correctly." Cut in Sakura quickly. "We're about to move, so it is imperative not to waste any more time. Also, while you have all forged your alliances with the cards, I believe two of you haven't the faculties required in which to use them as an extension of yourself. That's why I'm going to pass the knowledge of each card to the holder… through the ability of Transfer."

"Wait…" started Tomoyo. "Is that safe?"

Sakura glared at Tomoyo at first, then shook herself out of it.

"It should be nearly completely safe." She admitted. "However… we haven't the time to debate. Are you ready?"

Tomoyo looked to Syaoran and Touya, who nodded at once, keeping their opinions to themselves. Tomoyo however, was as uncertain as ever.

"I-"

But just as she started to speak, a sudden pain forced her quiet.

Though mild at first, she quickly threw her hands to her head and cried out as an overwhelming darkness swept over her. In it, she saw things… horrible things… unspeakable. Then a whole history seemed to unfold around her… a history of magic… wars… children crying as their parents succumb to plagues and other inflictions… and the visions of magical energies beyond that of her understanding.

As the visions continued, she saw the mass graves of yesteryears, the tears of a child, the death of a clan.

Then the blackness took over… overwhelmed. It was quiet. It was silent.

Frantic, she searched for the hint of a sense… something, anything, just a direction. She didn't like it. She screamed… but heard nothing. She wanted to cry… the tears wanted to come… they wanted to emerge, but they couldn't. She just couldn't bring herself to cry.

Hours seemed to pass by. Days… weeks… she felt completely shut off. Completely alone.

On the brink of insanity, she closed her eyes and curled into a fetal position. Set to forever drift in emptiness.

Then it happened. A single pinprick of light cut through the darkness… bright enough to see through the lids of her eyes.

With caution, she opened them.

It… was warm. The light was warm. Still… she remained curled. After all, it could be a trick. It could be nothing… though she wished with all her heart it was otherwise.

Trembling, she reached with outstretched fingers to the light… towards the hope.

Next she knew… she was on a large grassy plain. A field by the look of it. And there was a house in the distance. Always in the distance.

Time passed… accelerated.

Happiness replaced emptiness. Light replaced darkness. A power… a gift from the darkness, replaced insignificance. Friends came from the power. And most of all…

…Life.

A life full of life. A happiness for life. An irrepressible will to explore… to convert… to become.

A thunderstorm. One above the plains from before… but from large glass windows.

A sense of awe… one watching the lightning and the wrath of the storm… the thunder pounding the sky. The sense of creation… the thought of the storm… the acceptance of nature, the admiration, the birth.

Of a card.

One card that would displace the elements. One that would create a world in itself. One that would become everything that the thunder had impressed. A card that would take the name of that phenomenon.

Thunder.

Then she was gone again. The images changed. She witnessed more cards but could not see them.

Then a need. One to explore. It was overwhelming.

A trip… a journey.

Wonder. Joy. Admiration.

Then… a hesitation. A fear. Pain… loss…

Death.

Trembling, she looked down at her hands. They were covered in blood. A wound… hers… but the blood wasn't hers… it was… but not most… most was others'.

Tears… hurt… death… pain… darkness.

Forever darkness.

The power of the dark.

Return… a return to home. Home…

Friends, more cards… a girl. A cute girl.

Sakura.

Acceptance.

Then, the task… given reassignment. Guardians.

Then the final voyage… into darkness. Forever into darkness.

Tomoyo shuddered. She didn't understand. And here she was again… trapped in the world without a sun.

Just then, when hope had finally been abandoned, a light crept into the dark place once more. A light she had witnessed elsewhere. One that she had seen before.

Lightning.

She watched with awe as the electric arches lit the void in which she had settled.

No… she hadn't settled. She was forced here. She didn't want this.

With desperation, she reached out toward the lightning. She would rather accept its gift of deliverance than live forever in darkness.

_Please._

_Please… I beg you!_

Although the words would not come, and thought was the only thing to sound within her mind, the lightning seemed to change before her.

A strike would occur, but would cling to the darkness… it wouldn't leave.

More followed. Even more after that. Then more still.

It kept up until it resembled something like that of a giant arm, reaching down through the clouds of darkness.

An arm that seemed to offer itself to her.

Without hesitation, she accepted its outspread claws, and grabbed the one closest.

* * *

Tomoyo's eyes flew open as her body resounded with great quantities of electricity as the electricity chose to discharge through her body. 

It was painful, but it was this… a world of light, that was preferable to the blackness she had endured. It was because of that darkness, that she accepted her death.

"TOMOYO!"

"Huh?"

Someone had called her name… what… how?

Snapping out of her delirium, she relaxed the currents flowing through her just enough of a moment to watch as the electrical cascade dampened around her and noticed that their effects were contained… almost like she was imprisoned in a glass dome… a shield.

Shield!

Not sure how, she stopped the flow and slumped to the floor, her eyes focused solely on her shaking hands.

"Tomoyo… are you ok?"

Tomoyo looked to the voice. Eriol was standing above her, a worried look on his face. The shield containing her had vanished.

"What… what happened?" Tomoyo asked confused. She was gone for years… wasn't she? How… no, why did everything look like the first time?

Eriol lowered his head in a shamed manner. He seemed as though he was about to apologize for something.

"Sakura… told me that Transfer was a card that still had many mysteries about it." He sighed. "I suppose this was one of them."

He knelt to one knee and took Tomoyo's hands in his.

Unable to help it, she blushed, and then looked at her hands, which to her great surprise… were burnt. She blinked. She hadn't even noticed.

"My hands…" she said in soft disbelief.

Eriol shook his head. "This won't do… not at all. Sakura?"

Sakura rose from where she'd been kneeling by Syaoran and Touya, who had apparently just experienced something similar. Syaoran was by far the most at ease. With just a gesture from Sakura's hand, Tomoyo's skin began to erase the damage until there were no signs left.

Eriol helped her to her feet, and then slowly pulled his hands from hers.

"All better Tomoyo?"

Tomoyo gave a nod, then turned towards Sakura.

"You said it was safe…" The natural soft look on her face had vanished. Instead was a very serious one. "Did you know?"

Sakura said nothing, but Tomoyo wasn't about to let her off.

"You knew… didn't you? You knew… and you said nothing?" Tomoyo accused.

"Know what?" asked Sakura genuinely. "I don't know what you're talking about."

With that, she turned and began walking away.

Unsatisfied and tormented from her experience Tomoyo was acting almost as though another person entirely. And Sakura's walking away infuriated her. Wasting not a moment, she ran to her and grabbed Sakura by the arm and spun her around.

"Don't lie to me!"

"Who says I am?" growled Sakura as the situation turned tense.

"Stop!"

Eriol grabbed Tomoyo from behind just as she raised her hand to the air, determined to strike her best friend… or the one who once was. As he did, she tried to resist his hold by activating an electrical barrier in a way that surprised her. But it wasn't enough… just his touch seemed to have a calming effect.

"Let me go!"

"Tomoyo, wait… stop and tell me. It is possible that Sakura hasn't an idea as to why you are upset."

Confronted with the absurdity of possibility, Tomoyo stopped despite herself. As she calmed somewhat, she watched as Sakura walked away without another word, while she herself slid to the floor. Eriol however, hadn't released her, so she just accepted his offer.

Without pause, she proceeded to tell him about the experiences and the suffering she had endured deep within the moment of the transfer. She shuddered as she remembered the memories as clear as the light that first rescued her from the darkness. However, soon she went on to describe the death and destruction, and the eventual absurdity of seeing Sakura and then the oblivion and then finally the return to reality.

When she had finished, Eriol had an uncomfortable look on his face that spoke volumes of injustice.

"So… what… who… or where was I?"

Eriol nodded as he thought to himself.

"That… that was a very thorough description of memories… or even the inner-most feelings… of Clow Reed, as he experienced them, though in a somewhat accelerated manner. Most likely, it was not Sakura's fault at all, but the result of your interaction with the card, its world, and then the transfer of its abilities and functions.

"Though… those memories shouldn't have been that involved with the histories of magic and the wars before. It's quite possible that the darkness in Sakura has seeped into the cards, which would reveal just that much more."

Tomoyo responded in the affirmative, but it was possible that she wouldn't forgive Sakura that easily.

With angry eyes, she watched as Sakura went to the door and paused.

It was time.

Gathering herself, she thanked Eriol and they, with the rest of the team, followed Sakura through the door and towards the heart of the city.

* * *

For a good part of the trek towards the engagement area of the city, Tomoyo walked in silence. 

Though it had only been micro-seconds, she felt as though decades had passed. Worse still, she was silent the entire time. And most of the rest of it was trapped within darkness.

No… like Sakura, she had become the darkness.

She had seen many of millennium of magic in an instant. Such was enough to drive anyone beyond understanding… well beyond the normal level of human comprehension. She had every right to be angry.

It was a reason… her reason. And it was Sakura's fault.

* * *

From the safe concealed world of Touya's backpack, Kero took a moment to peer outside. 

After all the waiting, and the preparation, he was starting to get antsy. But apparently, his problems were minor.

For a reason that he wasn't yet aware of, Tomoyo had changed somewhat. Just after the transfer too… and she hadn't seemed right since. In fact, she seemed bitter about something.

It worried him.

With the battle less than a couple hours away, it seemed as though their team was being driven apart just by a hint of the hunters. It was as though there would be fighting amongst themselves soon. Just the thought was disheartening.

He gave a sigh and settled back.

Though he didn't like the recent change… he found there was little he could do about it.

* * *

"So… I guess this is it then?" 

"It will be. Are you feeling nervous?"

Syaoran looked distant, even at Eriol's obvious stab at attempting to draw a hint of weakness from him. Instead of a shot back, he merely shrugged. Without Sakura's calming affect in his life, he just wasn't in his right mind.

"I know what concerns you," Eriol addressed to Syaoran's unspoken feelings. "But changed or not, she just needs time. Though, I thank you for your input. It is very helpful."

Without waiting for a response, Eriol dropped back from Syaoran to walk with Nakuru.

"Did you find out anything, Eriol?" She asked softly, so as to not be overheard.

"Actually… according to Syaoran, both he and Touya did see the things Tomoyo had, but unlike her, it was an instantaneous occurrence… almost as though no time passed whatsoever."

"I see…" Nakuru frowned. "…but why is that?" She glanced over her shoulder towards the back, to where Tomoyo trudged along, well behind the others. "Is it because she didn't carry magic originally? Or…"

"Or was it an emotional attachment to the essence of Clow?" pondered Eriol uncertain. "Either way, she believes Sakura is at fault. So we'll need to watch this."

"Agreed."

* * *

Tomoyo closed her eyes painfully. 

No matter how she fought against it, no matter how she tried to reason it… it was of no use.

There was no way around this.

It was Sakura's fault… somehow… someway…

…she had lied to her.

Her betrayal was deepening with every passing moment of silence.

With menacing eyes, she stared at Sakura's back with only one resounding thought: If she were to survive this… Sakura would answer to her… magic or no magic.

* * *

It wasn't long before the lengthening shadow of the tower was upon them. Despite the distance and the size of their group, it was very easy moving in the now emptying city, which in light of the recent actions had come to resemble that of a forsaken realm. In fact, with the change of the sky, and the empty streets… as well as the unseasonably chill in the air… the city had a very surreal atmosphere. 

Sakura frowned. To her, it had taken much too long to reach the site, as it did to prepare the others. But it wasn't an altogether bad thing either.

With a hidden smirk, she looked back to the others, who were just catching up, letting her eyes linger on Tomoyo. It was almost like looking into a mirror, save for the obvious differences.

Still… it was with that unintentional transfer that just may have given her the edge she needed.

As for friendship… that was an impossibility considering…

Sakura shook her head as a pain welled up in her chest. Such thoughts had no place here… only action.

"Stop." She said in a commanding tone.

"We have reached our destination… though with not much time to go." She turned to face them, her hair flowing around her shoulders swiftly. It had gotten windy. "Now… if everyone understands the plan… then we shall disperse into our groups and take our positions."

With that, she fell silent as she engaged the air and the sky in silent confrontation. Several seconds passed, yet she hadn't moved. Then after ten seconds, she raised her head, but continued to stare out into empty spaces.

"Yue… you and Touya will take the north-east position. Syaoran… you and Kerberos will take the south. Ruby Moon and Spinel Sun shall take the east. Eriol… I'll leave you to the west."

There were nods as the various teams split to head to their respective regions. However, as Tomoyo made a disgruntled noise with a tint of venom in her normally light and honey-toned voice, Eriol stepped between them.

"Eriol… what are you doing?" asked Sakura lightly. "Won't you go to the location we agreed upon?"

"No… I think that I should take Tomoyo with me," he said with a quick glance. "Just in case she has further questions." He added.

"Then I shall go alone…" said Sakura in a distant voice as she considered her situation. "…that's just as well then. I'd hate to be bogged down by the inexperienced." She mused cruelly.

"'Iinexperienced'?" spat Tomoyo angrily. "And just whose fault is that? In fact… why bother transferring any abilities to us when there is still so much we are without?"

At this point, Tomoyo pushed past Eriol so she could regard Sakura closely.

"And if I had… then what would there be but empty experience in your heads?" replied Sakura coolly. "What benefit would there be if I were to show you everything?"

"It would be benefit enough… but you don't think of others anymore, do you?"

"I can see there's no getting the old Tomoyo back, is there? And what of the transfer? If I were to give you everything you ask for now… who would you be… me?" Sakura proffered dramatically. "A life like this? One that goes against everything you wish to be?" Sakura turned her back to both them, and without a word, invoked the Fly card, and spread her wings to make a point… her black wings.

"To be like me… I don't think so."

With that, Sakura flew fast into the sky, oblivious to any wandering eyes that may have glimpsed her fleeting form.

But left behind, Tomoyo seemed caught by the sight she had just witnessed. Something that stirred up the older feelings left behind.

"Black… black wings?" Tomoyo turned to Eriol. "Why were her wings-?"

Eriol sighed, and went to her, before placing his hand on her shoulder. With a calm face, he looked into her eyes.

"I know that you went through unspeakable things Tomoyo, but you have since emerged from the darkness and found the light once more. Sakura, though she walks among us, is still drowning in the same lightless world you were. I'm not asking of you now… but in time, please try to forgive her. It's enough of a burden as is."

With that, Eriol walked ahead of her to the west, leaving her to digest his words and their true meaning.

* * *

For two hours Syaoran had watched silently from atop his rooftop perch over the quantity of buildings that separated them from the warehouses lining Tokyo Bay. Two hours since he and Kero had arrived, and still nothing. It was a test of patience most grueling. 

However, since the delay, he had taken the time to interact with Dash in a subconscious manner that would heighten his active and reactive handling of the imbued power.

Kero on the other hand, had become restless, and now paced about the roof as the minutes ticked away. Incoherent rambling also escaped from his mouth at a steady rate, as though talking to himself to pass the time. For if there were any virtues he was without, patience was prime.

All in all, this muttering did not disturb Syaoran. Though there was much that had occurred, and that which was still occurring, he did not think to show it. Whatever was to happen… he would have to face it with the path clear… and not let the emotions of yester moments interfere. After all… he would have to wait on that as well.

* * *

Meanwhile, to the east, all was quiet. 

They, like Kero and Syaoran, had taken high positions while they waited. Though unlike Kero, waiting for them was no bother. For both Spinel and Ruby were used to the wait… patiently watching the forthcoming darkness on the horizon, as the warmth of the sun on their backs grew evermore faint.

* * *

To the northeast, Yue sat high above while Touya combed the streets for anything unusual. Unlike the others… should something come his way, he'd be best suited on the ground… and also… compared to the others, he blended best with those few that remained on the streets. Though with the curfew fast approaching, he sought the shadows… where those he watched for would surely come.

* * *

Sakura with her wings draped around her like a bizarre feathered cape stared off to the northwest, and the majority of Tokyo. Though all the precautions she had taken… it was likely that the hunters knew of their plan. It was obvious that they'd only make for the push when the energy suited them best… 

…a time when the shadows had fallen absolutely.

Still… should they come, it was most likely that they'd come from this… the northwest… though… it was entirely possible that they'd make for a western entrance, which she had hoped to leave entirely to Eriol. For though she was unable to admit to anything… she still cared for Tomoyo deep within her heart where the darkness had yet to penetrate. It was only because of her care that she wished for Tomoyo's anger to take hold.

After all… a scared will cannot win… no matter the determination.

* * *

Eriol swept his eyes from the distant sunset to his silent companion. 

Though he had taken her to answer any questions, it was more to keep her separate from Sakura. Both had their own struggles… and each had their own animosity. Such anger and ill will was vital to sustain the razor's edge… such was their trump her.

Though… as the last rays of the sun crowned the horizon with its golden beams, the wind gentled and he closed his eyes.

Breifly he wandered if he would see the same sun again tomorrow.

Silently to himself, he hoped so.

* * *

Syaoran shivered as a chill made its way through his body… a chill created by a difference in the air. With his eyes still closed, he looked to the horizon of the setting sun… it was there he found what he was feeling for. The wind had stopped blowing. 

With that, he opened his eyes.

Beside him, though farther over on the roof, Kero stopped his pacing and looked out in the same direction.

"Hey…" he started somewhat quietly and distracted. He looked over as Syaoran drew his sword. Though just that action provided silent conformation, he continued.

"Do you feel that?"

* * *

Yue spread his wings and Touya grabbed a discarded metal pole from the alley as he stepped from the shadows.

* * *

Ruby looked up and Spinel nodded. 

"They're…"

* * *

Eriol looked from Tomoyo as a grim understanding followed, to the west, his voice falling. 

"…coming."

* * *

And as the darkness took the city… 

Sakura smiled.

* * *

A/C (11/15/05): Originally there was going to be some fighting in this chapter, and I debated about adding it... but there were too many holes in my complete storyline involving the characters. But everything is set now, so three chapters to go.  



	34. Belligerence Part I

Chapter 34: **Belligerence (Part I)  
**

The unnatural wind blew swift and cold and increasingly so as the last remnants of natural light faded from the horizon. With the darkness came the renewed lust for blood and the thrill of the time to come… but even so, the feeling was as alien as the smile upon her face. To Sakura, whose familiarity with the powers of the dark was long well known, even this current form of self was something to fear. For how could one truly battle the forces of darkness when it meant conflict with one's self?

Still… even with the smile and the glee… there was cold. Whether it was cold from the wind through her hair, or the flowing air that ruffled her feathers – as they were as much a part of her then just an extension – she could not admit to any level of fondness that accompanied such sense. Even with the foreboding presence of the hunters in full, and the nervous jitter of electric tingle that racked every nerve fiber… she chose this, of all moments, as one in which to reflect. She chose this moment to look back.

Had she really made all the decisions that would lead to success? Would it matter? Even if the barrier which she and Eriol had raised fulfilled its reflective purpose, effectively canceling out the shadow-shifting ability of each hunter, would it truly deliver them upon those that must face them… or would things accelerate in un-orderly discord and such catastrophic nature that their plans fall into ruin?

She did not know.

She couldn't know… but to think was to over-analyze. Such thought was what put her into trouble before when fighting. But it was thought that saved her… no… transformed her. She is what she is because of thought. She was saved by thought… or was she cursed?

And had the thought of preparation really saved her brother… her boyfriend… her cousin? Or had those actions scarred each? Had she really saved Tomoyo by her actions?

Or had Sakura knowingly cast her into the opened maw of damnation…

Whatever she had… she did not have the chance to think further, as the streetscape so far below her started to glow lavender.

Without second thought, she flared open her wings and plunged into a world of uncertainty and disregard… open to whatever the fates had cast upon her feet.

And with that, disappeared from the rooftop altogether…

* * *

Syaoran's breath caught in his throat. A resounding magical vibration seemed to rend the very air around him as he felt the various presences of the hunters catch the trap that lay in store. However… all at once, those very auras he had traced before seemed to relocate not to that of the place he had anticipated… the area below, on the streets where the hunters had fought him before. Instead… he lost theirs positions completely. And in the air around him… there was naught but silence. 

It was an uneasy silence.

With fingers tightening upon his hilt, he gazed once more upon the streets below… momentarily fearing that they passed him by completely… that the barrier had failed… that they had reached the tower. Or worse… they had relocated around the others. Nerves frayed, he drew his sword.

As he did, only then did he see the purple reflection in his blade… just before feeling an air permeating warmth against his cheek.

* * *

Touya relaxed his grip as his fingers began to crush the metal pole in his hand, yet he remained crouched as he was, staring out of the darkness to that which had scarred the night's air. Though he wasn't aware of Yue's position, he was well aware that the purple sliver before him was the beginnings of a portal-like energy gateway that would deliver to them a hunter… though with no guarantees which. In fact, he wasn't even sure which direction the hunter would face… though with all hopes, Touya would rather meet one's back than one's front. 

Unfortunately… it did not look as though fortune favored his wants tonight.

* * *

Tomoyo felt the anger in her heart momentarily abate as a tendril of fear reached into her core. Even as she watched, the dark form of one of the hunters emerged from the vertical pool of light that had formed below them. While she was safe for now… going down to the street meant otherwise… and though ready before… she felt a growing apprehension. 

Suddenly, she became aware of another feeling… but one in which she was altogether familiar with… at least with others. A hand on her shoulder… something that would normally console or even reinforce. But this one… this time… this hand was to restrain. Given how she was before… it would have meant nothing to her… but now… now it was an unwelcome assault on her resolve.

She wouldn't have anything of it.

"What?" She whispered harshly to Eriol as she turned to face him.

"Tomoyo… those powers you have – and the additional mental preparation you were given – was meant mostly as an ability to defend as much as anything… you needn't really-"

"I needn't what? I need not fight?" she spoke in a louder, harsher tone. "If that's what you wanted to say, I suggest you say nothing at all. Considering the situation of late… you are the only one who I'm on good terms with. By all means… if you want me to remain alone – Say IT!"

With that, she broke from his contact, a spattering of electric discharge sampling the empty space between them before returning to its host.

Red in the face and determined, Tomoyo ignored Eriol completely, and vaulted off the side of the building. An aggressive aura of electrical tendrils arched between the buildings to slow her decent to the street below… where she would face the hunter alone.

* * *

Sakura watched the portal below as it emitted a terrible squelch, just before it released its occupant with such force that the figure came skidding out backwards several meters. As it faded from view she was dimly aware of the sound of laughter as it floated on the breeze. For reasons unknown… this hunter found the situation out of his hand to be amusing. 

For herself, she did nothing but frown as she alighted on a large neon display nearly two stories above. After all… she knew that laugh, and cursed her luck. In fact… of all the hunters, this was one she was least eager to engage. Fortunately for her, he had not seemed to register her presence. But she wasn't exactly trying to hide.

"It seems as though you have been misplaced… Faski!"

Though he remained as he was, Faski failed to turn to see her; in fact, his only response came as a smile as it crept across his face. It was almost as though he didn't care.

Such an act of insolence did not cross Sakura lightly.

"I'd hoped that the hunters would have gained some manners of late… as this is the last time we'd be seeing each other." She said as though musing to herself. "But I suppose to ask too much is too much to ask. Though… it's ok to me if you just want to end this quickly."

"End it?" responded Faski brazenly. He added a chuckle and his voice dropped dramatically. "Now why would we want to do that…" He reached behind to where his shortened staff was stored. "…when there's so much time…" His fingers wrapped around it. "…left to play?"

In a motion swifter than the eye could track, Faski drew his staff, extended it to full length, and ran his hand from the end to the middle just before he turned and swung it down in Sakura's direction.

On instinct, Sakura leapt from the sign just as a monstrous whip of fire smashed into it, breaking the electrics within, and causing the plastics to burn. Fortunately, being this late past curfew, there was no one underneath when the sign exploded into shattered glass, metal, and a showering cascade of sparks. It was also fortunate that Sakura had avoided the debris herself.

"You missed." She mused from even higher above.

Faski smiled.

"I know… it's only 'cause you're a nimble little thing. But even a pretty thing like you has to come down sometime… especially considering… in the air, you are ten times slower!"

With that, he released a barrage of varied sized fireballs and wave jets in which Sakura merely raised a hand to the incoming force and smiled. "Please…"

* * *

Syaoran felt his eyes burn as the sweat rolled to them freely from his forehead. 

So far he had managed to hold his own… but with two hunters to fight, even with his enhancement, he and Kero were seriously overpowered. What made things worse is the hunters they fought. While he and Kero had both fought Shi before, Ka-sari was another matter entirely… especially since neither of them knew of what the real one was capable. And there was another factor: location.

When the hunters had first appeared, it wasn't on the street below, but just behind them on the same roof. Syaoran frowned at the thought. A roof as a battleground was a new experience for him… and so far he felt at the bottom of the learning curve.

He parried a chain thrust from Ka-sari and stole a moment's glance to the side. Kerberos seemed to have led Shi to the next roof, though a bit further down.

Syaoran grunted as he blocked another blow.

It was easy enough for Kerberos… since he could fly, but he was thankful that the hunters were at least separated. Still… the battle was moving slower than he would have liked… and definitely more unmatched. He couldn't help but wonder how the others were faring.

Suddenly, a burning sensation against his face brought him back to reality. Luckily, Syaoran recovered in time to prevent the rest of the chain from catching him around the side. Still, as blood trickled down his face, he knew that he had been careless.

He knew he would not make that mistake again.

* * *

Touya grunted hard as the whole of his body came to a sudden and painful stop. Though such things were painful to say the least… he considered himself fortunate, as an impact like that would kill a normal person. As it was, his extra strength did not save him from getting the wind knocked out of him, and found himself quite helpless as he coughed and gagged in the attempt to refill his lungs before the next attack. 

Luckily for him, Yue had not engaged the opponent at the time of Touya's initial attack, and thus came as a surprise when he appeared afterward.

Touya looked up through watery eyes as he clutched his midsection. In all his thoughts in preparation for this battle, he had never thought that he'd face the one they did now. He never thought that they would go up against the leader. It was this fact that made their situation all the more dismal.

Now it was in their court… his and Yue's. Now they carried the most important of tasks… and in all likelihood… it seemed they were only destined to fail.

He winced as he stood.

No… he couldn't fail. He had promised himself this. He had undergone the uncertainties of addition magical influence just so he could go through with this… so he could be strong for Sakura… in the time she needed him to be. And to be strong for one more, his most important person.

All that would fall apart if he gave in now.

All would crumble.

* * *

Tomoyo crumbled inward as she fell to a knee, watching with blurry eyes as an after image of herself floated away toward the one that had extracted it from her. 

A violent shudder disrupted her as the image vanished, and a bland voice edged into her conscience mind as a feeling of sudden weakness swept through her.

"Not as interesting as that of your friend's… but I sense that this magic was hers as well. It's rather fascinating that a stripling like you can possibly wield such a power… especially with the level of vehemence and conviction of hate… but then again, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised." Hiru looked up, his eye narrowing. "After all, my ability would certainly allow it… though to pass such knowledge to the weak... how abhorred in my thoughts this is. All the more I detest is that bitch for stealing it from me."

Tomoyo eyes watered. She felt sick… the reasons overwhelmed her even with the understanding of it all. She had been used… she was manipulated by all fronts, and there was no one left to trust. After all, it was fully confirmed that this was the method of power transfer they had been hoping to employ, and she was what she was because of them. It was a series of thoughts that only served to fuel those fires she kept hidden within.

She was alone…

"You would be one to talk of theft… would you not?"

Tomoyo turned. When did he-?

"After all… isn't that your specialty?" pondered an amused Eriol. He walked past Tomoyo and took Hiru's full attention. "It hurts when something of yours is used against you… does it not? Then maybe you should remember that feeling the next time you try to repeat it."

"Ha… you make me to be a criminal… one only worth in what his talents allow would understand me greatly." Hiru admitted as he relaxed his stance. "If one is a master artisan… he wouldn't want to go against another artisan unless there was talent there worth copying. He would want to go against someone greater… and pass himself to a higher status of the social ladder. Is that not how I feel? Is that not what you could give freely? Or better… what we could take from you?

"That is how I feel. So I'll be damned if one tries to impress upon me my own strategy. That is why I look forward to your deaths… at least after a little give and take…"

Eriol smiled. "If that's your stance, then I hope you get to meet her again all the sooner."

He gave a nod and raised his hand. "When I do… I'll be all the more happy to tell her…" He closed his hand. "…exactly how it was that you died."

Upon the utter of his final word, the lights surrounding them, be it the streetlights, signs, or even the buildings… began to flicker, accompanied by a sound of static emanating from bare wires and other source outlets. Also, the space around his closed fist began to spark, as unnatural black electricity gathered around it in increasingly condensed quantities.

"I hope you remember these sensations as they are delivered upon you… for it will be courtesy of the prodigy… and her little friend quivering behind you." He smiled. "I'm sure it will be familiar to what a fly feels… when it meets its first bug light!"

At that, a great web of electrical energies arched across the way between the buildings, threatening to catch Eriol in the middle. But he was more than ready, as he brandished his staff forward. In that one move, all the current that was meant for him was drawn within his staff… completely nullifying the attack.

"Yes, well…" stated Eriol mildly amused as he looked between the buildings and back to the hunter, "The fly only feels such if it chooses to confront that light. Otherwise it would be completely fine.

"On another note… the girl behind me is actually an illusion. In fact… she's actually behind you."

Hiru's eyes widened as the image behind Eriol faded. Without hesitation, he whipped around just in time to see the real Tomoyo with her hands held forward. For him… there was almost no time to act.

"Surprised?" Asked Tomoyo, her teeth bared and her appearance looking disheveled with her normally well groomed hair hanging in strands around her face. Arcs of pure bluish-white electric danced around her forward held hands, as the energies gathered between her cupped palms. "Remember it!" She cried, as her hands plowed into the hunter's stomach, with a release of that which she had created.

* * *

Sakura frowned. 

So long as she stay in the air, she seemed safe from the brunt of Faski's attacks, perfectly shielded. However, as loath as she was to admit it, he was right about one thing… that being in the air only slowed her down. And if it was anyone else that had mentioned it… she might have forgiven them.

Through unbroken silence, she mentally cast aside her wings granted to her by Fly, and plummeted to the street below as the mass of shed feathers swirled down around her, as her hair was left to trail through the cold air yet still above her. Beneath her, just prior to contact, the street broke like splintered wood as her shield landed before her. So set was she of the expected attacks forthcoming that she actually issued a noise of surprise when there came none.

So shocked by the senseless pause, she whipped her head up to look, her hair falling around her face and shoulders.

"So falls the angel, the soul of purity turned black by the struggles of the day…" Faski started, as he stood rather placidly, apparently having stopped the attacks just to watch her descent. He ignored Sakura's look of contempt. "After all, it is not the awe of her darkness that calls still to pause… but rather her warrant of death hung so loosely upon her lips… with piercing eyes set to follow that death to the soul."

Sakura frowned anew.

"How does the most immature of hunters suddenly go from witty shots to borderline poetry anyway?"

"He doesn't…" answered Faski thoughtfully. "I just want to preserve that sight in my mind now… because when you die, there will be nothing left to remember."

"Oh?" Uttered Sakura distractedly. "Then I'll just have to make sure your memories of me last… at least for the remainder of your life…"

"Oh yeah? Bring it."

Sakura flashed him a toothy grin, but said nothing. Instead, she raised her right hand menacingly, just as the star that was once her wand began to glow.

"Let none stand in my way… let not the powers be wasted… let not my intent be understood…" She took a breath and closed her eyes, and just before swinging her arm down, she cried out: "Glacialis ventus d'excessum!"

Faski swore heavily as she whipped her arm fully, the star imbedded within the glove stirring the air into a frigid artic blast, laced thick with jagged chunks of ice. However, before the icy winds could reach him, he retaliated in kind with a response of an elaborate fire attack. In less than an instant following, the two attacks collided with a shrill squeal.

Fortunately for Faski, his attack seemed the stronger, and easily overpowered hers and swept through the resulting steam in hopes to find his query. Though as there came a break in the obstruction, he found he was seriously mistaken.

"What th-?"

Without warning, a volley of arrows came from the side through a cloud not yet dispersed. Unable to avoid them, several found purchase, and a howl of rage issued from Faski just as Sakura emerged triumphant, her sword extended.

For Sakura, it was the perfect opportunity to strike. An opportunity that she wouldn't miss.

* * *

Sparks exploded outward as Syaoran's sword was blocked by Ka-sari's blades, and he was forced back. 

Just moments before, Syaoran had finally found an opening within the complex defense tactics of his opponent and managed the passage through, only to have his forward momentum put in its place. To do such a thing… it pushed him beyond frustration. Even if he had held his own, both he and Kero were undoubtedly losing strength… which meant either was soon to fail.

Somehow… they had to reorganize.

For now though… they just had to survive.

* * *

Survive… that was the resounding word embedded within his conscience. No matter what the cost, he knew he had to regroup. Somehow, he, Kerberos, had to lose this nightmare that kept him fast and moving. Somehow, he had to either give him the slip… or kill him. 

However, those options were beyond possible at the moment.

Which a sharp bank, he managed to dodge another series of Shi's 'death touches', but while the attacks were failing to hit their mark, they were still doing damage generally by sapping him of his strength. With the knowledge of this, he decided it was best to stop the incessant flight away and to instead face his opponent… after all; it was time to conquer his fears and act. But the question still remained… of how he'd do this.

As he banked around a building, he decided to aim for the commercial district, so as to hide amongst the signs. It might be his only option.

Tucking in his wings, he dove fast into the heart of a group of signs advertising the latest of whatever their separate companies were selling. Not the least bit particular, he chose the first that would provide the necessary cover and latched on, letting one of his extended claws poke a small hole into the sign. Without delay, he used the same hole to view the world beyond. It would be foolish to hide without it.

Though still fearful, he managed a smile.

After all, the only buildings on which the hunter could follow across were the ones that lead right into his view point.

"Now then…" he murmured aloud. "Let the hunters chase the shadows for once."

* * *

"Touya! Don't-" 

But it was too late, for he already had.

Though it was unclear to as why, or even his motivation, Touya did not… would not want it otherwise. After all… this was his fight, not Yue's. Yue was meant to protect Sakura… not him. And if Yue fell, it would severely cripple both their lives.

So was that the reason that Touya hung from the shoulders of the hunters' leader? Was that why his arms were wrapped about his neck, his body pinning the sword between them, and the reason that he had done all this without plan? Only one word came to mind…

Probably.

However… for whatever the reason… whatever the motivation, it suddenly put them in a powerful position of control. It was a position Touya was unlikely to let slip away. For it was that moment of determination which kept him so firmly bound to the hunter as to not let him slip away… no matter how much and in what way he resisted.

"G-ack, re- release me! Maggot, Scum!"

"And where would be the point in that?" Touya asked amused, though he knew it was in his best not to taunt the hunter more than necessary. "Besides… I'm not the one in which you need to worry about."

At that, Touya swiveled the hunter open to Yue, who wasted not a moment before taking advantage of the hunter's imminent weakness.

Utilizing his energies, he crafted a blazing blue crystalline spear and thrust it forward.

* * *

Hiru collapsed to the ground, clutching his stomach, which was now bare and charged from Tomoyo's assault. With pure hatred, he glared at her from the now sunken sockets that were his eyes. His handsome features seemed erased, and now looked much older. It was unclear as to why this was so. 

"You dare… you dare…"

"Yes," replied Tomoyo looking smug. "I guess I do. And if you want… I'll dare again."

She completed her response with an act of raised hands, electric ripples of current arching through the air and against the surroundings, like that of the inside of a plasma ball. It seemed as though her confidence was now peaked and secure.

Eriol, seemed less so, as he chose to remain a safe distant from her rampant energies.

Hiru looked down to his hands as he rocked on his knees and elbows. "Is that so…" he murmured softly. He looked up again as Tomoyo edged closer and his own hand tightened into a fist. "Then I have no choice…"

A smile spread across Tomoyo's features as the soft words reached her ears.

"What was that?" She taunted, overjoyed by her accomplishment. "I can't hear you…"

"I said…" he started to shake a bit as he laughed. "Have at it!"

With that, he whipped his arm out and his version of Sakura's 'Shot' fired upward at Tomoyo. With little time to act, she just barely avoided it as it streaked inches from her face. But just as she made to recover, there erupted an explosion behind her, forcing her to the ground.

Just as she hit the ground, a dislodged power line fell beside her, and as electric hit electric, cancelled each other out in another resulting explosion which instantly collapsed them and the surrounding area into darkness.

Unable to do anything, Eriol watched powerlessly as Tomoyo fell helpless to the shock of the moment, and collapsed to the ground. It was uncertain the extent of the damage… but as of the moment, it looked as though she wasn't breathing. Without delay, he rushed to her aid.

While in the moment of confusion, Hiru picked himself up and gave one last fleeting look at the pair, and melted into the shadows.

* * *

Spinel's ear twitched and the fur on his neck ruffled. He raised his head and looked to the distance through the branches, to the city past the tower. The light there had died… and the sounds of that battle had ceased. With an uncomfortable silence that came so swiftly, he looked over to his partner in the tree adjacent to his own. She gave a nod in response and his heart weighed heavily in his chest. 

That silent signal indicated that Ruby Moon felt the same as he. Part of their defensive line was broken. It meant that the hunters could punch through.

But there was always the chance that those could recover… and another chance that the battle could be brought here… to Shiba Park… and it was here that he and Ruby could offer their strength.

For a moment, he thought the situation over, before tearing his gaze from the darkness to the sky over head. Still nothing to worry about… but he was certain that it wasn't low enough to be seen. No, he was certain it was there already… he could feel it.

He stirred suddenly at the presence of a hunter… one caught within the barrier.

It seemed that it was only a matter of time before the fight came willingly.

* * *

Faski came up from the ground clutching his side, blood flowing through his fingers. 

For Sakura, the hit was true… but hardly with the effect she had wished… for in truth, she had intended to separate his upper body from its lower half. Still, it was a step in the right direction. Though, if she truly wished to get anywhere at all… she needed those items.

Without them just added to the complications…

"Not quite the shot you had banked on… was it?" Faski proffered irritably.

"Not quite as amused now… are you?" Sakura shot back.

"Quite," he muttered in agreement.

From the extended distance came the low moan of a siren. It seemed Sakura's time to fight uninterrupted was dwindling. It was a fact that made her mouth sour.

The last thing she wanted was outsider involvement… especially considering her current nature.

Faski seemed to have followed her thoughts and regained his smile.

"Sounds like we'll have visitors. Though I wouldn't count on it too soon, humans are stupid creatures after all." She said nothing and his grin widened. "I suppose the thought doesn't warm you? Well then… how 'bout this!"

He spun back and whipped a tongue of flame in her direction, his movement slowed somewhat from the injury.

Ready for the normal strike potential of his attacks, Sakura dodged the flame with ease, then swept across, parried his staff without invoking its fiery response, and thrust her sword down for the kill… only to find purchase of nothing but pavement.

Slightly irritated, she swung about again, but struck only the empty air.

"Faski…!" Sakura growled out. From the slights in her aim, it was all the more apparent that he was invoking the full abilities of his artifact of speed… though that didn't make sense, since only his hands should be fast.

Was it possible that he had found a way to alter the effects to gain overall increase? Such a thing… then if so…

"I have to admit… I never liked you very much." Sakura stated with a sigh. "In fact… given the choice, I'd rather hoped never to fight you again."

From somewhere behind her, a voice came from the pitch of obscurity.

"Trust me; I feel the same towards you. So why not do us both a favor and just die?"

"Why don't you?"

"Why don't I what? Die on the spot?"

Sakura smiled, but merely shook her head.

"No… that's not quite what I was after. Actually, you can die if you want to. But what I asked was why don't you…" she turned her body slightly, the sword disappearing from her hands. "…come out of hiding?"

As she spun, incandescent white light exploded outward from the area in which he was hiding, causing him to emerge with a howl of frustration.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," smiled Sakura. Her grin widened and she screamed out something joyfully. Before the sound had even escaped her lips, Faski was caught under heavy fire from several various attacks from Sakura's arsenal of magic. Though with the skill of an acrobat, he managed to effectively avoid all the blasts from shot and arrow, as well as Sakura's renewed ice and wind attack.

"That's good!" cried Faski. "But fruitless. In fact, I'm beginning to get bored. Are you sure you're really trying?"

"Tch…" Sakura sounded through her grit teeth. "If push comes to shove… then I'll have to push as only I know how… MOVE!"

With her hand set in a claw-like fashion, Sakura lunged out at empty space, yet Faski felt the effect instantly, as though a giant had clasped him, and was smashed against the side of a building. As he was, broken glass and shattered concrete fell from around him, and the impact caused blood to issue from his mouth. Though at the same time, the use of Move on a object much larger than intended put added stress on its user, and Sakura too felt the full affect… as blood pushed past her lips as well.

It was a double edged sword… but at least he was stopped… for the moment. And it wasn't as though she couldn't heal herself when needed… but why bother? It was much too much enjoyable this way.

"Heh… heh heh…" Faski half breathed, half laughed as he stared with a dead expression at Sakura. "I suppose you are enjoying yourself?"

"I think so, but I haven't quite decided yet. Not fully at least."

"Then let's invite the others to play… I'm sure they won't mind. In fact, they look to be quite insistent upon it."

With that, he pointed a finger past her and she immediately sensed that they were no longer as alone as she'd liked. In fact, without needing to turn, it was certain that they were already here.

* * *

"Flames unite and air dispel… come forth together to fury's quell!" 

Shadows cast upon the empty streets as the rooftop of a building above was ignited in the crimson pallor of the unrestricted inferno that had birthed out of nothingness of the night. As it did, so too did that of a small scale hurricane, as it reached out to the fire and embraced it within itself. When the two forces had united at last, over a time scale of several infinitesimal moments, they formed the truth of unbridled fury.

As impressive the occurrence in itself, even more impressive was that it was brought into the world willingly. It was a force to aid… guided by a will to destroy. And most impressive of all… the monstrosity birthed was one to insure the balance of what good there was remain in this world.

At least that was the idea…

But even as Syaoran spun it from his sword, he wondered whether he'd end up as burnt by his own creation as would the one whom he set it upon. In fact... being his first time to ever create such a hybrid, he wondered if he even had the will to control it. Ever magnified was the fact that he wouldn't have the chance to go wrong.

At least for the moment… it was doing just as he had intended it.

Where his speed had failed him with this hunter, his strength and intelligence had persevered… though there had been many wrong paths before this.

Earlier, he tried to strike the hunter with lightning… given the metal interaction, it simply seemed the best of tactics. However, their given location had increased the difficulty of landing the bolts as he needed, and even when he had connected, there were too many ways for the electricity to disperse through his many varied connections with the roof. So far that of all tactics, it seemed to be the least efficient.

Still, it was for these reasons he kept trying. If anything… he wouldn't get destroyed here… not now. No, only he could, or would do that.

However, for now, that was not a worry, as his opponent sought shelter from the fury before him. In all of Syaoran's hopes, his opponent would be trapped forever more. But it was obvious that such hopes were beyond foolishness.

Suddenly, foolishness became absolute as a blazing chain flipped through the storm, set on undermining his efforts. Though instead of fear, Syaoran greeted the chain with renewed vigor. If the hunter could persevere against all odds, so could he.

Surrounding himself in a swirl of air and water, he rushed the flames, pushing them ever closer to the hunter he had cornered. If all worked out, he could push him from the roof entirely, and that in itself could place him in a higher position. Though, it seemed that he would never gain the upper hand, as melee attacks meant very little… but he did have one idea.

Gathering strength to his shielding, he stepped into the heart of his inferno, blocking what attacks came his way and gritting his teeth as the steam rolled from around him. Even his blade, shielded as it was, was beginning to grow hot in his hands. If he was going to do this… he had better act without thought.

With that, he plunged his sword into the roofing below, and cut a great swath across, breaking through the steel reinforcement as he went, even as Ka-sari's blade/chain attacks continued around him. By this act, he had created a breach in the roof and allowed the debris that would otherwise hinder him, become his shield. It was true enough… the heavy slates and concrete swirled into the air and rotated around in true gridlock.

Now the proverbial ball was his… in his court… and it was time to shoot.

* * *

_Now!_

Seizing the opportune moment, Kerberos leapt from his hiding spot just as Shi had come into the open, caught between two buildings in mid-jump… but better yet… caught in midair. Without bearing, he wouldn't be able to retaliate. Without retaliation as a possibility, he was game.

At the end of his silent dive, Kerberos had succeeded in catching the hunter unaware, and the two locked together in freefall combat. Or so he thought…

Without another moment's need, Shi flung the enraged guardian beast from him, and across the way, directly at a lighted building. Accompanied with him, were two icy blade slashes. Seeing no other way of avoiding them, he relaxed his muscles and let himself fly helplessly at the structure.

The last he thought was of how much it would hurt.

However, instead, there was a great crash and the sound of broken glass, before he did indeed crash… but not into that of concrete, but into a carpeted floor before colliding headlong with a file cabinet. Directly to the side of him, two great slashes ripped themselves across the floor. All around him were other sounds… screams. And suddenly it dawned upon him horribly… that he wasn't alone at all…

Without further thought, he raised his head quickly for a look. All around him, were people… people working the night shift of this newspaper building… people that were scared, even some injured by Shi's misguided attacks. One without a hand, another without a leg… others still with horrible gashes… all of whom were shocked by other than just there sufferings… but shocked by that before them.

Shocked to the point of being petrified. Too much so to move… which was a very bad thing. Then elsewhere in the room, there was an additional gasp. In order words… another cause.

Knowing full well, Kerberos wheeled around, and sure enough, Shi had made his appearance.

"You!"

Shi merely looked placid as he strode forward, brandishing his scythe before him and wearing an uncharacteristic smile across his face. It sickened Kerberos. For he knew that he was happy.

"Of course… me… death. And so I shall be… to you, and your friends." He pointed his bony finger around the room, and smiled maliciously. "All of them."

Unable to do anything else, Kerberos pressed himself flat to the floor just as Shi swung his scythe in a great arc about the room, releasing a frozen halo that cut all in its path. In just that one instant… everyone standing had lost their heads… quite literally. One of the headless fell to the floor right next to Kerberos… right in front of his eyes.

It was just too much for him to accept.

Staying low, he charged the hunter and released his pent up frustration in the flame issued from his mouth. Though it had missed its mark, it was enough to erase the un-natural smile from Shi. Unfortunately, it did nothing to calm the nerves of those who had unwittingly managed to stay low of the halo. One man, who had lost his hand to Shi's initial attack, was clutching his bloody stump and sobbing hysterically.

Kerberos' eyes flicked back to the man for a fleeting second while he grappled with the hunter. Under his breath, he said "I'm sorry."

Shi gave a crackle of a laugh as he had followed the move and kicked free.

"As you should be…"

Knowing full well his intentions, Kerberos leapt, but was far too late, as Shi flicked his fingers out, and the death touch connected. It was over before he could even find his voice… but that didn't matter… not even remotely. Using the momentum in the leap, he continued forward until he plowed into the hunter and both hunter and hunted smashed through the glass and plummeted toward the street below.

* * *

At the last possible moment, Vijari spun and narrowly avoided Yue's spear thrust as it shattered against the wall behind it. The momentum which also loosened Touya's hold and allowed the hunter to gain the upper hand. 

Momentarily reunited with the freedom of movement, he knocked Yue aside and grappled Touya free from his back. However, before he could dominate the situation, Yue struck the hunter leader with an arrow of his own making.

Staggered momentarily, the hunter's hold on Touya loosened, but not merely enough for him to break free. As strong as he was… he just wasn't strong even… or sure enough. And in this fight, both mattered more than he could know.

But his hold wasn't enough. With his movements free, the hunter lashed out his aggression in the only one who had harmed him thus far. In an instant, Yue had been broken by the quick jab and his attack shattered.

Touya watched it all.

However, before he could retaliate, the hunter took aim with his arm crossbow, and leveled it in Yue's direction. All but completely helpless, Touya watched with horror as a jeweled ring glowed with blazing incandescence and the first bolt fired free; a bolt that was entirely composed of the greatest of intense energies. And it wasn't the last.

Unable to avoid, it struck Yue without remorse. Once in the shoulder, once in the wing, and again in other locations just as haphazard as the hunter tried to fixed his aim, as well as to manage Touya's struggling. A Touya that had begun to speak.

"Stop…" he voiced quietly, already weakened from previous attacks.

This time, Yue attempted to block the bolt with a crystalline shield… it too was shattered, just as all Yue's prior attempts. That bolt passed through his other wing, inhibiting the joint and thus grounding him.

"Stop it."

This time, the hunter heard, but didn't bother to look his way, but smiled. He lined up for another shot.

"Stop It!"

The blast hit Yue's right shoulder, and his arm dropped to his side, limp.

Touya tightened his hold on the hunter's arm, but the hunter continued to line up for his next shot.

"I said…"

Touya pulled down and the aim was skewed, but only momentarily, as Touya was pressed firmly against the wall, unable to move… or so the hunter thought.

He took aim again. The ring began to glow and the aim settled over Yue's heart.

"Stop…"

The hunter smiled and his eyes flashed with cruelty.

"IT!"

Touya broke free and lunged for the contraption, wrapped his fingers around its stock, and squeezed… just before the resulting explosion wrapped both he and the hunter in a blanket of unnatural white fire. Unable to do anything, they both fell its victim as it consumed them and the greater part of the street around them.

A moment seemed to hang in ringing silence before the haze lifted, revealing a burnt but free Touya, and a hunter whose arm was severely ripped and torn. Abrasions ran from his shoulder to his elbow, and then to the forearm, where skin hung loosely from that still attached. All in all, it was pretty horrific.

However, despite the damage, the hunter did not fall, as Touya had. Instead, his face did not contort in pain as it should, but in that of violence… and rage.

"Insolence!" cried the hunter as he pulled Touya's body from the street before delivering a powerful backhand across his face. "Filth!" He smashed Touya's face into the ground with his good arm, while his other bled freely. "Insignificance!" He slammed his fist into Touya's chest and then stopped, though a sudden spell of compassion had bestowed itself upon him.

With a gentle hand, he reached down and cupped Touya's chin in his hand and raised him from the ground.

"But I forgive you… because I know you feel as I do… that if you break something, crush something, you'll go out of your way to replace, or repair. Don't you feel that way? Then it is only natural that you'll help me. To fix what you have broken so zealously."

"N-no…"

Vijari smiled at Touya's sudden revival, but did not seem put off by his unwillingness. Instead, he raised his injured arm and spread his fingers, a soft whitish haze layered across his palm, the same energy as that of the ring's.

"You realize of course… by saying such… I wasn't asking!"

With that, he thrust his hand forward and wrapped his fingers around Touya's face, the haze reaching itself deep into Touya's being… to the depths of his soul. It was then that the extraction of energy took place, and as the hunter absorbed whatever it was that he was pulling forth, his arm began to heal.

* * *

"Tomoyo…" 

Eriol rolled the unconscious girl onto her back and took a moment to check her pulse, then put his ear to her chest. Her heartbeat was there, but fading quick, but worse than that, she wasn't breathing. He had to act quickly.

Without hesitation, he straightened her and rested her arms at her sides and made sure to tilt her head. As he did, he paused only slightly when a lock of hair fell away, revealing a much softer Tomoyo than the one he had just fought beside. Did he just imagine it now, or was this girl, the one in danger of her life, look almost as she did before? No… he must be imagining it.

Brushing that thought aside, he parted her lips and pressed his mouth to hers. After a solid exhale, he rose and began the chest compressions. He paused, and then continued administering the CPR as needed. It was unfortunate… but in situations like this one, magic just didn't work as it should.

Sometimes… the oldest methods were the best.

* * *

Deep within the recess of her subconscious, a lone and naked Tomoyo, hugging her knees to her chest, and keeping her face hidden, drifted through the void. It was dark… all around her was an overwhelming darkness she just couldn't displace. Everywhere… just like _that_ time.

But what was that time? She remembered something… years of darkness… but was it hers… or another's? She wasn't sure… but in this world, she knew it to be hers… and this darkness wasn't one of anger or even ill emotions… instead, it was one of death.

Death… but she didn't want to die.

Wait… wasn't that the point of the darkness before? It was… it was terrible… but it strengthened her, didn't it? It had, and she had fought… not only fought, but with confidence… no, arrogance. And it was that arrogance that had lead to this; a world that was completely devoid of everything she had known before.

There was no anger… sadness… happiness… or even… love.

She was alone, and instead of dying with her friends by her side, she left the world alone, but not because they had abandoned her, but because she pushed them away. Why? What was wrong with her…? Worse yet, she had placed the sole blame on that of her friend, her own family. Everything was _her_ fault… not Sakura's, but hers.

At least with that in mind, she could let go easily.

No.

No, she didn't want to let go… she wasn't dead, but alive! In this world, wasn't she feeling now?

Back… she wanted to go back. And as she did, there was a crack, and light came through the darkness, through the despair. Unsure, she lifted her head to the light, to the crack. It was there she saw the light she had never lost, but merely left behind. It came as it did through a slit into the world she had left, a glimpse of the beyond… a glimpse of… Eriol?

And then, the darkness shattered completely.

* * *

_Breathe… breathe!_ Eriol thought as he pushed the air into her mouth. If she didn't soon… then it was over.

Just then, as that thought crossed his mind, he was sure he felt a flutter of movement, and with a quick glance to the side, he saw her eyes part a little… but the look was dead. He had failed.

Overwhelmed, he threw himself back and clenched back the emotion as he threw his face skyward.

_Why?_

Then, miraculously, there was a sharp intake of breath, and then a rasping cough as Tomoyo rolled to her side, trying frantically to breathe again.

Without delay, he rushed to her side and pulled her up to a sitting position, bracing her with his arm.

"Welcome back… Tomoyo."

"Eriol?" She asked softly. The harsher tones of her voice were gone now. She searched out his eyes, and then gingerly reached out with her fingertips, and placed them against his cheek. He was real.

"Then its true… you didn't leave me. You're really real!"

Unable to wait for a reply, she wasted no time and flung herself against him, and clutched his front as she buried her head against his chest.

Caught in the moment, Eriol was too stunned at the sudden transformation that it took him several seconds before he put his arms around her and said, "Of course… of course I wouldn't leave you… I-"

She had placed her hand to his lips and raised her head to look at him more evenly.

"It's ok… I don't need to hear anything else." She sighed happily and settled back against his chest. "Please… just hold me."

"…Sure."

* * *

A/C (1/2/06): Hey everybody... sorry for the very late release, but I've had to do a lot of thinking lately, and all the holidays and family gatherings and such haven't help either. Now about the story... originally I was only going to have it be 36 chapters long... but this was probably going to be a huge chapter otherwise, so I chopped it in half. Otherwise it would have delayed out for longer and that's just cruel to the readers (ie, all of you). So here's this part, and hopefully throwing a piece of it out will let me work on the next piece without such urgency. It's tough to leave everything hanging as everyone's fighting... but now I can add more to the story in general. Or something...  



	35. Belligerence Part II

Chapter 35: **Belligerence (Part II)**

Sakura's shoulders pitched forward slightly as a sigh left her lips.

_Never a moment's peace…_

Faski just in front of her, tucked back into a recess in which only she could see him, she exposed in the middle of the street with just behind her, around twenty of Tokyo's finest. Rather… Japan's finest as far as the advanced policing level went. What with their sleek gear, fancy transportation, and hi-tech weaponry, it was little question why their names as well as their very presence shouldn't be feared.

Enforcers…

Sure, she supposed that many would fear them; anyone normal would definitely be intimidated by that. But seriously… to her?

Such a joke. Called out to battle forces of the unknown… strange phenomena that no one could agree upon the source… mass murders and no clear enemy? A shoot anything after curfew mindset? Yup… these were high-class morons.

Briefly… just briefly, she wondered if they were even worth saving.

Probably not.

But to have more continue to submit themselves to the same deaths as their comrades was just too depressing of a notion. That in itself was deserving of another sigh.

"Heh…" laughed Faski's voice from somewhere just ahead, as he now lay completely immersed within the shadowed haven. "What with all this sighing… you'll make me wanna yawn. And it's too early for bedtime." He paused as the enforcers behind her unloaded from their vehicles and trained their full attention and weapons at her back. "Or are those sighs simply reflective on the thoughts of your final moments to come?"

Sakura allowed a small smile to cross her lips but kept her body relatively still, as large movements generally were ill-advised under such tenacious conditions.

"Not really…" she mused as she slowly raised her right hand to tuck a stray strand of hair back from her eyes, "just thinking of yours." She stopped at the sound of safeties switching off and the slight tingle of the laser-sights dancing across her back.

Suddenly, the dark from around her was chased away completely by the illumination of many a large search lights. The heat imposed by just that small number was quite amazing. And to think she was center-stage? She bit her lip annoyed.

An electronic crackle played herald to a booming voice over the digitally enhanced megaphone.

"ATTENTION!" Sounded the voice of the enforcer at the microphone. "By violating curfew you are in infringement of city law. You will comply with protocol or you will be taken out. All shots will be to kill. There are no exceptions. Do you understand?"

Sakura cursed mentally. This wasn't the time for this.

"Yes…"

"Then place your hands upon your head and turn around! Do it slowly!"

Sakura hesitated. Even though in the darkness, she knew of Faski's exact position, and to take her eyes off it…

There was some murmuring from behind her and the voice came again with hint of urgency. "Do you understand!?"

"Yes."

"Then comply now."

There were more mechanic sounds as guns were shifted and the presence of the laser-sights was becoming annoying. Still… to concede meant their deaths as well as possible injury for her. Sakura's stare hardened and her lips steadied in anger.

"I cannot."

There was an increased amount of activity and murmuring, but even for tested nerves, they stayed their triggers.

"Cannot, or Will not?"

"Cannot… because I'm not alone."

At that, Sakura motioned with a finger and two of the beams of light swung from her to the direction she had initiated, at once chasing the darkness and illuminating a crouched Faski and everything about him. Something at which Sakura could finally manage a smile in earnest.

"Tattle-Tale." Faski scoffed.

Sakura kept smiling. "Yes."

Even Faski smiled. For despite the number of sights trained on him, this just might prove interesting as well.

Sakura's smile began to fade as her body tensed. Faski stood, weapon small but in his hand the same.

"Your move." she stated simply.

"It is."

* * *

"KA-SARI!" 

Syaoran's fire welled up in response to his bellow. Tongues of flame licking his face and arms as it curled around him like a living entity. Tiles and pieces of roof broken and tearing swirled around him in every aspect. Bourne upon the same winds that gave him his offense and his air, helped confine his world to the column of his creation. But even with this… power upon power… it was just that.

Loathe as he was to admit it, it had done nothing for him.

As an offense, it was too slow and difficult to aim effectively. As a defense, it still allowed chain strikes and impact shots… as well as impeding his motion by melting the tar underfoot. Powerful but slow… Impressive but defective… Sucking at his energy reserve like a starved symbiote… and still was letting him take damage?

And he had yet to even land an effective blow upon his enemy…

BULLSHIT! This was utter bullshit! He didn't have time for this… though he didn't specifically know what amount of time he was allotted from the beginning. Given mixed feelings of aggression and a torn heart delivered to him by both his enemies and his beloved respectively. Although even Sakura gave him aggressions he couldn't handle.

All that coupled with the vague hints of events cataclysmic in nature was enough to drive someone mad with fury!

And yet… as such… he couldn't land a single hit upon his foe!

It was beyond infuriating!

_Ka-sari…_

Reflections off blade and chain.

_Ka-sari…_

Blurred movements and quick escape.

_Ka-sari…_

If only he would hold still—

_Ka-sari…_

—for one moment!

_Ka-sari!!_

"GAAAAAAHHHH!!!"

Syaoran was beyond anger… and it showed in his actions. With even a hint of movement, he attacked full-force… directing waves of fury with every thrust of his sword. Though tired, every push was another heartbeat closer to his opponent's demise. Every strike a hair's breadth away from contact. Every defensive shielding a better block than the time before.

He was winning.

No… that was wrong.

At best he was only even… but this was definitely a step in the right direction.

He would win.

Suddenly, he caught a shift in his opponent through the maelstrom around him, an upwards direction? From above?

Perfect.

Even as Ka-sari loosed a barrage of spikes from above the gap, Syaoran intensified the power of his cyclone walls, while shielding himself and attacking via an upward well of select pieces of debris, that looked to catch his adversary off guard and in the midsection.

He was down! Syaoran could see the slumped form no more than five running steps away.

A chance…

Without giving the charge a second's thought, Syaoran dashed forward, his speed enhanced by the card's strength, the fiery onslaught screaming in sync with his war cry as he brandish his blade forward.

Just one strike was all he needed…!

Just one.

* * *

Touya screamed out in agony as the very fabric of his being was ripped asunder and absorbed into the hunter's leader—life force that not only depleted his strength, but seemed to be used to repair the very damage he had wrought. Damage undone as broken skin and burnt flesh seemed to flow in on itself—working its way from the minor wounds around the shoulder and moving downwards as though the repairs were radiating outwards. 

Outwards…

Even in a world beyond pain, Touya dimly noted this in his still conscious mind. Though as he was, it didn't even brush upon the sensible world… instead only leaving partial pieces of relevance. Yet among the randomness, given the behavior of the energy draw and that which was healing first, it gave the impression that prior thought was wrong. For if the energy siphon existed in his hand as previously thought, then wouldn't the wounds heal from the hand first… and then up the arm?

He didn't know, but why should he… when he could barely retain the images of the greater world as his conscious began to sink into the abyss. A world which was leaving him, or was he leaving it? Such a thing, he didn't know—wouldn't know—just felt as thought it was so. Yet despite it all, thought and rationale aside, one thing kept the tether of thought connected.

_Yukito._

So long as the name remained, he felt as though he could come back to this world. But were he to forget it… he would never return.

_Yu-k-kito… the pain…_

The pain was leaving him… even though he tried to fight against it, the hunter's grasp was definite and its effect dominating. He had already lost the will to fight.

He was already beginning to forget… and his world, his sight, was already faded to the deepest depths.

* * *

Vijari held Touya fast as the energies continued to flow within him, and his arm continued to heal. 

Already, without the true need of perception, he could tell that the young man's life was his. That, and with his energy consumed, it would allow him the opportunity to dispatch the fallen guardian as well. And then he would be free to pierce the infernal barrier inhibiting him from reaching his desired destination.

Things were just that perfect.

But first to kill the insolent whelp before him…

He smiled as he tightened his fingers about Touya's neck, accelerating the absorption process. Just a little more was all he-

"Touya!"

That voice…

_Impossible!_

In the direction of the voice, Vijari whipped his body around just in time to defend himself against a brazen barrage of silver crystalline shards which dominated the air before him. While their source, as well as the owner of the voice, rushed from just behind the onslaught—wingless and bloodied—as he attempted to deliver his vengeance upon the hunter before them. But it was too late.

Had he chosen to rush forward without the cry, he may have tipped the scales in favor of the surprise, but instead… had only managed to sever the siphon instead.

Unless… that was the intention?

No matter. It was clear from the way that the shards broke upon the hunter's body that the guardian before him no longer had the energy to summon any reflection of true strength. As he grasped the hilt of his sword upon his back he smiled at the enemy's rapid approached. With just his sword alone he could-

_Stuck!? No…_

His eyes came to rest upon another set locked onto his own. And their owner…

* * *

Touya smiled at the leader of the hunters. 

Somehow conscious, and with what little energy remained, he grasped the sheath of the sword upon its owner's back and with the added strength of Power, clenched it with the force of a vise-grip.

"Y-yue…" he struggled to whisper. "D-do… it now."

"Insolent little-"

But it was too late. Before the hunter could react further, Yue covered the distance in a moment, and with a brandished crystalline shard plowed into him full force, pushing him into the building behind him with crushing force. The force of which left the shard from before deep in the hunter's abdomen, an attack that proved effective as blood gushed from his mouth.

Yet that alone took the already depleted Yue to the edge, his reserves of energy failing him fast, and Touya already having succumbed to the world of unconscious abandon.

However, the hunter was not dead, and wouldn't be dead unless he was to end it now. If not for the sake of Touya and himself, who would be the first to encounter death should the next strike fail, then for the sake of everyone else. All of that and more depended upon the next attack. All that it needed was a single strike.

With the overwhelming thought of perseverance as a guide, Yue drew upon his energies to fashion a bow, and with it, an arrow of the densest concentration he could muster. Should his aim be true...

_Touya._

With this he would be saved.

_Touya..._

It was the thought that motivated him and kept him alive. Even with his eyesight blurred, he knew that he would make it true. With this it was...

"...it's over."

Though Yue could barely see, the hunter before him was smiling, because the voice which was his was carrying a hint of laughter along with it. But it was because of that that he hesitated with his shot.

"What's wrong? One shot will do it. Don't you want this to be the end?" The hunter's breathing was labored, but even with that, he seemed in good spirits as he rasped against the building, an arrow aimed center-mass.

"All you need to do is release."

Something was wrong. Yue hesitated. Why did the hunter... seem bigger?

"Then you will end it... for _both_ of us."

The words seemed to echo in Yue's mind, though he wasn't sure why, something apart from him told him not to fire due to the words he didn't comprehend. The fact that the hunter was saying such things, and that he looked... bigger?

"Y-y-yukito..."

_Touya?!_

It was certainly Touya's voice, and in the same direction—rather position—of the hunter. Yue's eyes opened wide.

_It couldn't be!_

"Heh... too bad for me. It seems you realized."

He did realize, and only just... that somehow the hunter had taken hold of Touya, and now held him as though a human shield. For which was the reason he looked bigger.

Yue lowered his weapon, and the hunter smiled triumphantly, despite the blood in his mouth.

"Since that's that." The hunter began softly, readjusting the limp Touya as he spoke. "Why don't you... take him back?!"

In an instant—with unprecedented force—he heaved Touya's body at Yue, effectively cancelling the summoned weapon and causing the two to collapse in a heap with Touya's full weight pressing Yue tight to the ground, unable to move. While the hunter himself pushed away from the wall, shard still embedded within, and moved forward with full intent to restore.

Only did he stop when a bolt of blue energy graze the side of his head.

"Tch... still conscious?" He said with vehemence as his gaze met a smaller but still prolific blue bow and a drawn arrow, pointed towards him. "How annoying."

"Always." Yue smiled. Though pressed down and nearly blind with exhaustion, he would protect all those he held dear to his heart. Even if he was a step away from death's door.

"How troublesome." With those parting words, the hunter dragged himself to the shadows, where he shifted somewhere into the night.

Left to abandon, the bow of Yue fizzled out, and its owner collapsed into the darkness of the mental abyss, leaving that particular street all but abandoned once again.

Whereas somewhere else in the darkness, in a different location altogether, a bloodied and shaking pair of hands clasped the imbedded shard and wrenched it free.

* * *

A silent scream in the world beyond embraced Tomoyo's being with a deliverance of chills, causing her to break from the gentle embrace that she had found comfort in. Though she loathed leaving it now—knowing full well what she had to go back to—she knew there was no other choice. Now wasn't the time for selfish pleasures, especially when her resolve to fight broke through the darkness she had felt confined to. For now it was of her mind to forgive. 

"Are you well enough to stand?" Eriol asked gently as Tomoyo pushed herself away from his chest. When she gave a faint nod, he offered his hand so as to support her decision to stand—to which she took it without hesitation. Once upon their feet, looking to the east, Eriol's eyes settled upon the silhouette of the tower that appeared just over the height of the buildings.

"Eriol…?" asked Tomoyo softly. Even with the number of lights lessened by her aggressiveness of before, she could make out his characteristic mask of scrutiny. "What is it?"

"Hiru is likely at that place now." He replied vaguely. At Tomoyo's bewildered expression, he continued with detail. "To the tower's east, amongst the trees of Shiba. It's the location Sakura and I chose to send all the second shifting attempts to, should the others not manage to hold their allotted positions, or if the hunters chose to pursue the tower instead of fight.

"Should he be the first to go there, then he should be intercepted by Spinel Sun and Ruby Moon. But if there were others who chose to move forward before he did, or if others were deposited there before, it is possible that they will soon overwhelm the defensive there, and thus be better positioned to breach the barrier.

"In other words..."

"We have to hurry and rendezvous with the others?" Finished Tomoyo for him.

"Yes, more or less." Affirmed Eriol calmly. "Since a hunter was already deposited in this area, the barrier's interference patterns will make it nearly impossible to breach this sector with their shiftings."

"Meaning that this area can't be penetrated?" Asked Tomoyo surprised by the sophistication of what she thought was originally an already over-involving barrier. If it was as Eriol said, she wondered what kind of, and how much magic was exactly poured into this barrier. Briefly she wondered if it wasn't still sapping their energies and thus adding to the strain of their abilities. She'd rather hope it functioned as an independent function. Otherwise to her, it seemed too costly of a venture.

"Supposedly," smiled Eriol warmly. "We've never really delved into such intensity in the past, though both Sakura and I have been responsible for fairly broad variations of magic. Although we feel fairly confident.

"Now all that's left is to enforce its principles to ensure its success."

He smiled at her and used his staff to open a rift in the empty space before them. "Shall we?"

Tomoyo nodded her head as she felt his kindness wash away her doubts.

"Yes, let's."

With that, she took his hand as would a friend, and together they moved forward as one, until their bodies were swallowed and the rift was closed.

And just like that, the west was forgotten for favor of the east.

* * *

Spinel jumped high into the sky and loosed a brilliant beam of pallor crimson energy upon the hunter below, as his partner below danced the dance of death, striking with darkened fists of red light and attacking with crystals of the same color in a magnificent display of maneuverability and agility as she fought on equal terms across the park floor. With every other blow, Ruby crossed Sakura's copied sword and her own crystalline blades with no avail. When she didn't cross, she moved in with full fervor only to meet the copied shield or a static discharge. 

Such a hunter... was such a pain in the ass.

Ruby swore as she was blocked yet again.

Upon his immediate arrival, he was in a state of disorientation that made landing blows easy and expected. But it wasn't long after that that he adapted and seemed to return to a more normal flow of ability. Such a thing pissed her off to no end.

Now, there seemed to be little she could do to gain the upper hand, rather, just to stay at equal ground was taxing.

Briefly, her eyes turned to the sky and she frowned.

Unlike her, Spinel was even less suited to this battle, as he couldn't make use of his bulk and his flight abilities in that the hunter was much too evasive. And should he abandon the sky in favor of the ground then he might as well simply land in her path, as it was more than likely that he would end up in her way regardless of situation.

Even now, as he was above... firing blasts as he flew about. Were such things truly helpful? It certainly kept their opponent moving, but that was only as good as stamina that allowed the movement.

As it was, with too many negative factors interceding, her best bet was to borrow what help she could from Spinel until backup arrived. If only it would arrive.

Suddenly, at that thought, the wind began to intensify from near the barrier, much in the same location as from where the hunter arrived. Mentally, while so engaged in open combat, she restrained herself from turning to look, instead deciding to leave the observation to the one with the aerial vantage. However, she hoped that should it be another hunter that Spinel was at least of some use, as another might just as well end her, lest she take to the air, where she at least had a better chance of means to evade, but almost no truly effective means of attack.

So overwhelmed by the possibilities and the potential danger, she made the mistake of stealing a glance of but a moment, which was all the hunter was waiting for as he eagerly took the absence of guard and advanced on her life, with such speed that recovery was impossible. Only aware of the fatal flaw in her actions a microsecond too late, Ruby could only watch the blade streak closer to her chest as though caught in slow motion. So fast that she was unable to breathe, let alone blink...

And then it was over.

Though, not for her... surprisingly, amazingly... somehow those from the portal managed a twin attack that intercepted the hunter from both above and below, and pushed him beyond her reach. An assault of an electric nature that danced across his being as he desperately tried to ward off the attack.

Amazed, she turned to see both Eriol and Tomoyo emerge from a rift in the barrier, staff and hand raised respectively.

"Eriol! Tomoyo!" Ruby said off-guard, as she absently tucked strands of loosened hair back from her face. "Honestly... I'm so glad to see you."

Tomoyo smiled and Eriol lowered his staff and nodded his head in a mutual feeling, as Spinel descended from the sky to join the assembly. While Eriol and the others had their little reunion, Tomoyo strode forward to watch the hunter as he attempted to re-orient himself.

Noticing the hated look of familiarity in her eyes, Ruby ventured a comment for the general audience. "I'm guessing that this was one that got away from you?"

"Something like that." Eriol said as he moved to Tomoyo's side supportively. "He seemed to have his fill of satisfaction from us and abandoned us for greener pastures."

At that comment, Spinel who had remained otherwise silent, looked about the nature of the park and made a brief comparison of it to the greater area in one phrase. "Certainly... you won't get much greener than this around here."

"True enough." Said Eriol in agreement. Even without saying anything, it was certain he was thinking of the vast fields of green that he left behind in England, simply from the soft expression upon his face. Normally, when gazing upon a hunter or those associated, such an expression was beyond rare.

"That aside, do you know how the others are faring?" Ruby inquired out of curiosity.

"Not a one." Stated Eriol Simply. "Though if I were to venture a guess, I'd say they are for the most part holding their own."

"And for Sakura?"

"She's probably... doing just fine."

* * *

Sakura smiled as the fool of a hunter lunged forward. 

Even under such conditions, he was as reckless and uncaring as ever, to act on impulse rather than intelligence like some dumb beast. As it was, she didn't really expect much from this particular hunter from the beginning. Though it was certain his stupidity was enough to get her involved with the uneasy as well.

True to her thoughts, as soon as the hunter moved, the sound of gunfire—no matter how silenced—rang like falling rain in the night. A sound that given the number of sights upon her own back, did not bode well for her own health. But such as it was, was of no consequence.

Even as both attacks of fire and eager bullets took to the air she was unconcerned, having effortlessly evaded the latter by vaulting skyward in the form of an aerial back-flip, and having turned the former into a weapon of her own, a weapon she made full use of as she launched a preemptive strike on the surprised Enforcers. But her intention wasn't that of harm more than that of intent to confuse, if not disorient… such as she was now, nothing provided better opportunity than that of an environment well saturated with chaotic rhythm.

Chaos… and of course… darkness. A darkness she found herself lacking with the presence of such bright light. But that in itself was just as easily remedied as the situation.

With a little manipulative help of Windy, such a task was the epitome of simplicity as given just a slight nudge made the course shift in the fire's progression just that more natural, as though it had always been set. A course that delivered one ball upon each of the various lights that had robbed Sakura of the darkness she had so deserved, and sent the leftovers to various places among the lot of Enforcers.

As sparks, broken glass and metal, rained upon the confused lot, others were pelted behind with the bits of street that crumbled in each successive explosion… all factors only served to heighten the very chaos Sakura had so anticipated. That, and as of now, even before Sakura's feet had touched the ground, all hate-filled eyes rested upon the man before them. Though even including the girl herself, who had flipped so high into the air, all were targets of enmity.

Sakura could care less.

Although there was no magic utilized at that very instance, time around everyone present seemed to slow to a crawl as Sakura finished her descent tucked in a crouched landing, eyes that faced the hunter and her back to the momentary annoyance. Although annoyance was the truth, this could be fun as well. What with the laser-sights crisscrossing all around the area, it almost seemed suicidal just to move. Such a thing… with a hunter already on the offensive… just seemed like that much more of an activity she might enjoy.

That and… well… other thought just wasn't as entertaining.

"Faski," Sakura said as time seemed to resume its normal flow, "Let's go!"

With those winged words, Sakura sprung from her crouched position headlong towards the hunter as the muffled sounds of gunfire hailed at her back. But if they thought that she'd stay still enough for a shot, they had another thing coming.

At that notion, she broke her direction and cart-wheeled off on a tangent to her initial path, the obvious presence of the bullets biting the ground and the air around her. What with her location sense as she had used before with Move, time might as well be stopped. For her at least, this was easy fun.

A smirk crossed her lips as she moved within striking range of the hunter. Here, with the angle and distance… a strike was possible with anything from Shot to Sword. Though all that was only if she wanted to—which she didn't. Instead of attacking, she somersaulted over him, before she landed with a rolled on the other side… a heavy glancing of heat at her back.

Impossible.

It was absolutely impossible for him as he was now. What with his injuries as they were and him under fire. Quite literally in fact.

For all her vaulting and jumping aside, the truth in her actions wasn't so much the fun of the moment but to make him the center of attention that he so well enjoyed being. For with every bullet intercepted, received, or blocked, it generally resulted in a flare of fire as it glanced off his weapon. Which, given the darkness she had created, made him stand out easily. While her on the other hand…

She rolled again to the side, even less bullets than before seeking her in the darkness. Instead most of the sights now moved around the hunter as he frantically attempted to escape the persistence of those fighting for not only self… but general preservation. But even if he managed to get away now, it was already too late for him. Though if she didn't step in soon, she might lose the chance she was hoping to create.

Without so much of a care, Sakura stopped moving about and stood to her feet. After a brief self-examination of minor injuries, she calmly walked over to where Faski—bloodied and losing—desperately struggled against the inescapable offensive. For some reason, Sakura felt a hint of compassion at seeing the sheer will involved.

Just a hint.

"Faski…" she said calmly and collected, a gentle breeze dancing with her trailing hair as she approached him. "It's time that we ended this."

Faski grimaced in pain as another bullet found purchase somewhere on his body, yet even though he risked additional impacts of a similar nature by glancing away, he did it anyway as he turned his head to her. Unable to stand it any longer, he fell to his knees and his still lengthened weapon fell beside him. From some silent command, the gunfire stopped, and all laser-sights rested upon his chest.

"I agree…" His mouth clenched from the pain and his eyes intensified with realization. Even given the proximity, she was standing in plain sight… yet none of the sights rested upon her. "You… little bitch."

Sakura smiled as she raised her hand to chest level. It wasn't a surprising reaction considering… although to both she and the hunter, what with the white glow surrounding her body, she was clearly visible in the darkness. Yet to the humans in the vicinity, she was completely invisible.

"Hmmm… basically."

"Tehh…" uttered Faski with a pained shutter. "That… that…"

He slowly grasped the staff at his side so as not to attract anymore gunfire, and began sliding it up the side of his body—the movement slight enough that those of the Enforcers couldn't see the progression in the immediate darkness.

"That is something I cannot forgive."

* * *

With all his concentration on this single blow, Syaoran and the full drive of his inferno landed square on what looked to be the hunched figure's abdomen. 

With this… it was…

…over?

Without great resistance and no movement, his sword found purchase and cleaved through the object in its entirety. Only… where his hopes lay on the crimson sheen of victory, there was nothing save broken bits… of debris?

_No… when did he-?_

Through a gap in the flame, he saw the broken pieces of roofing and bits of steel fall to the roof.

_A decoy! _

He shifted his vision, but in just those moments of shadow chasing, it was more than enough time to undermine everything. For the attack came with little doubt, and every expectation. As it was… there was just not enough time to reconfigure the winds to a more solid defense.

Without delay, the chains burst through the heavily fortified defense and flanked him, leaving shallow, but effectively placed wounds across his abdomen. Even though the added heat upon the chains was enough to sear the wounds closed, it was effective enough to undermine everything.

Given in to brief pause, it provided all the weakening of the defense Ka-sari needed.

With no thoughts of general well-being, he burst through the barrier's edge, and set his blades in line with Syaoran's throat, intent on the kill.

However, with a quickness associated with the card he possessed, Syaoran intercepted the blow, locking his sword with Ka-sari's blades, just as his spell came undone in a gigantic rendering of atmosphere, that sent both adversaries reeling, and Syaoran's sword free spinning from his hands and across the roof below… right to the edge.

_No!_

If he lost his sword, his fight was truly finished. And he as well.

With a surge of determination of the moment, he pushed off hard, and flipped backwards through the remnants of his dissipating firestorm and landed within reach of his blade. But it was a reach too far, as Ka-sari was upon him in a moment, chains withdrawn, blades extended to his forearm as he struck forward. The force of which missed direct purchase, instead undermining what little structural integrity was left of the roof edge.

There was nothing to grab, nothing to hold as everything Syaoran knew crumbled beneath his fingers, his sword still out of reach as it tilted evermore closer to a swift descent.

Such a scenario was one he just couldn't accept.

With a loud cry from the strenuous effort, he pushed all the strength he could summon onto the already broken ledge as he gave it his all… simply to reach his only chance. Only to manage a simple brush against it, before both he and it fell as one, into the night.

* * *

Kerberos and Shi fell together through the still night air, along with the hundreds shattered glass fragments that wrapped them like a blanket. 

For what had seemed a good plan originally… Kerberos had put little after thought into the decision. For best he knew… his plan stopped at getting Shi away from those in the building… but as away from himself? That seemed another matter entirely.

Still, there was little choice but down, at least for now. Given the shards of glass, to spread his wings in this situation would bear the same consequence as letting Shi's death touches have free play with him. Falling straight to his demise had nothing positive about it either, save that he'd take the hunter with him… but it was unlikely that that methodology would do anything either. At least not to help his teammates.

He screwed his eyes tight and clenched his mouth so hard that his fangs cut his lip. There had to be another way… there had to! Even now, though his grip was more or less absolute, Shi would find a way… and in that case, more than anything else, he'd be the hunter's salvation. And he couldn't let that! If only…

He opened his eyes. There was a way… but it would be risking a lot, in many respects… though, what alternatives did he have now? It was the only thing.

Kerberos looked between the glass rain and the hunter and then to the quickly rising street below. He would definitely chance it… but just not yet.

* * *

Syaoran grimaced in pain as he clung to the sword for dear life. Without another way out, he had no other choice than to thrust his blade into the side of the building to stay his fall, but at cost. For not only were his joints and muscles screaming in agony, but he had reacted too soon, and thus now lay just below striking range of the hunter above, which was much too close. 

Even now, despite his condition and situation, he chided himself mentally.

Such raw and unrefined power… what was he to prove?! Such reckless abandon was typical of his youth and inexperience combined. But now, now he should know better!

He bit his lip so as to lessen the pain he felt elsewhere.

Didn't he know… wasn't he told years ago? When he was fighting before, to prove himself to his supposed rival of the time, just after losing in that swimming competition. Those words…

'_Haste is a taboo… So that you can be at your full potential at any time, you must always be calm. Not just in swimming, but also when you are protecting those dear to you.'_

…it's not like he forgot about them. Did he simply choose to let his emotions control him? Wasn't he past such reckless foolishness?

He had thought so back then, but… now?

He closed his eyes.

Eriol… those words were his. One who was the definition of calm. Even now, in the face of such foes—Sakura as well—he was calm, they both were calm.

_Shit!_

Where that left him and the others ruled by only their emotions of the moment, was only on the receiving end of Sakura's bitterness. Heh… and her without her ability to express compassion. Perhaps the reason of darkness wasn't as true as they made it sound—but in knowing there was potential for gain. In gain there was trust.

In trust there was a future.

He laughed to himself as he strained his eyes towards the rooftop. If only he had made the connection a little sooner… then perhaps he wouldn't be having such a hard time of it now.

"Alright you bastard," he said through gritted teeth, "come get me."

* * *

It would work… it had to! 

Everything he had rested on this moment, and doing it right!

After all, this moment was perfect. The hunter was beneath him, his weapon falling away from him and his arms bound by Kerberos' weight. At this rate, in this position, the only true threat to Kerberos was the one bearing down on the both of them from above. And of course, to attempt to save himself in this scenario would only open the same route to his foe. That left only one remaining option.

They had to go down together, it was the only way.

With the decision finalized, Kerberos dug his claws into the skeletal armor, against the warnings of Sakura and Eriol, he violated the integrity of the armor, causing a spontaneous back wash of the armor's energies that leaked from the artifact in the form of an icy glaze that crept across the hunter as well as his own claws. He grimaced from the arctic chill that attacked the very fibers of his nerve endings as the cold leeched into his body through his claws.

However, despite the pain, there was also a comforting satisfaction… where in utilizing the magical wash he had succeeded in immobilizing the hunter and his actions. He couldn't attack or be attacked.

A double edged sword. One upon which both he and the hunter would be impaled on once meeting the ground, if he let the ground meet. But it was at this point that the meeting of ground and flesh was inevitable. Even with this… did that mean his plan would crumble? Did that mean he had to give up thoughts of chance?

No… there was still-

A sharp and sudden pain rendered his thoughts as the hunter below grabbed his leg with an icy grasp, as though to overcome, as though to think of escape! But even with the hunter's intent to kill, he had the same, which he showed by further plunging his claws deeper, causing the hunter's hold to lessen.

Five seconds until impact.

With his weight alone, even if he managed to break away now, his wings would tear from their sockets, and the glass shards above would ruin him.

His plan was pointless now… now that his death was ascertained.

With four seconds remaining, he smiled in knowing with this; Shi would die… though he may be regenerated later, if the others held off the hunters long enough, their power would run out, and that the window of opportunity would open wider for Sakura. Even with his absence, they would win. One hunter less was still one less… especially given that his armor may break and thus be useless in his next incarnation. Something he had to make certain… by utilizing everything that was in his power.

With this thought, he wrapped his wings around himself and the hunter as the ice began to overtake him.

Three seconds to go… he began to emit a tear for everyone and everything he would leave behind: Sakura, Eriol, the Kid, Sakura's family, and even Eriol's lackeys… warmth and comfort… video games and entertainment… desserts and sweets… DESSERTS AND SWEETS!?!

Like HELL he'd leave those behind!

Summoning all his strength and magical energies, he initiated the transformation from his normal self to his disguise, just as he pushed against the hunter below with all his might… breaking free of the icy hold at two seconds and launching his now small body upwards through the shattered ice and the glass shards above, though suffering a sharp and sudden pain in his side as he rocketed upwards.

Even with that, and at a safe vantage above, he cast his eyes down just at the moment of impact. It was a sight that in the past would have turned his squeamish head and made him sick. But now, seeing the body of his foe crash to the street just below made gave him an immense satisfaction, as the iced armor split and tore with the flesh below… a wound made all the less muddled by the sheer cold that had enveloped it. That, and with the glass shards the rained like daggers, there was little to recognize save for the sole fact of importance that couldn't be ignored.

Shi was dead.

Dead… killed by sheer determination and animalistic rage. Even in such a way, even then… the joy he felt at the sight of his broken enemy was—

—broken?

The magic… the warning!

Kero's eyes widened with horrified realization as the rampant energies from the corpse below fumed forth, building with an explosive potential that dwarfed any and all previous expectations. A fact that incited the importance of escape as he gathered what remaining strength he had to push himself higher, faster, harder… up and up… as the energies beneath him on the street seemed to pulse with a life motivated only by malicious vengeance. Energies that now billowed in a swirling bluish white cloud of frozen death that began to collapse upon its middle as a star collapses in the moments before a super nova.

This was going to be bad… really bad.

He had to… get… away!

It was at that exact thought, that the energies below reached their limit.

Just as thought, the middle collapsed first, pulling all tendrils of rampant energy toward the source, compressing in on itself to and beyond critical mass, a compression that was simply the harbinger of what was to come: Magical Expansion. The dirty bomb of magical cascades… or even saturation.

And it had just gone off.

As magic responds to magic, a large quantity of the push went skyward towards the already gathering magical energies. For the part that didn't, it surged outward like a tsunami of liquid absolute zero, freezing everything upon contact over an area equivalent of three city blocks, while the initial upwards surge just missed Kero as it streaked towards the heavens. A massive pillar of blue radiance for all eyes to behold.

As Kero hung in the air stunned, he gaped at the frozen cityscape below with tears in his eyes. He gritted his teeth at the sight, the pain in his side momentarily forgotten.

"Tch… Even in death… you bastards."

Without another glance, he flew forward with purpose. For if he stopped to mourn the unknown now, it was more than likely that he be burying the ones he loved in the next moments. And that… that of all things he could not allow.

* * *

A pained smiled worked its way across Syaoran's face as parts of the building rained down around him. True to his thought, he was close to the roof, yet far enough to avoid direct strikes of Ka-sari's blade/chain combination. However, even knowing that, there wasn't true assurance as there were still probably more things that were left unseen and unused as far as attacks went. 

Before, it didn't seem as the hunter's relentless thrashing of the roof above had true meaning other than to rain debris in an attempt to dislodge him from the side of the building. But now on the other hand, it seemed that more and more, the attacks went deeper into the parts of the building he couldn't see, as though gutting it from the inside. That, and with the persistent shaking accompanying it, it was more than certain that he was using the vibratory attack from before to undermine structural stability.

Though, for whatever reason, it seemed as though the hunter refused on all accounts to actually enter the building and attack from the inside out, knowing that in the moments of uncertain visual conformations, he may use the time to escape elsewhere, whether back to the rooftop or to use the winds to ferry himself to another building. All of which had been in Syaoran's plans before, but with the sword so well embedded, and his muscles already taxed, he was unable to proceed in any fashion.

Now, the only thing he could do was wait. Wait for another means of freeing his sword, wait for the others, wait for the perfect strategy... it was all about staying calm and keeping his options open.

Staying calm...

He drew in a slow and deep breath, held it for a moment, and then released it.

The fact that he had forgotten before didn't even bother him anymore. He remembered now, and that was the only thing that mattered. Even disadvantaged in the moment, he still felt an amazing amount of control. He suddenly felt as though everything was easier than it ever was... and in that he found a promise of power yet to be...

...and a sense of comfort he hadn't felt for many years.

Suddenly, a large tearing sound pulled him from his peaceful world, as the building around him started to shift and groan as though an immense weight now rested upon it. Parts of the outer side cracked and bulged, yet his blade remained as fixed as ever.

Cracks in the wall...

The thought of it gave him an idea.

With great effort, he pulled himself up and wrapped an elbow around the hilt of his sword and braced his feet against parts of the bulged wall for support as he searched with his free hand for his incantation papers. Upon finding the one of his choosing, he placed it against his sword and whispered as softly as he could.

"Wind, to thee the life of a living being,

Creeping, breathing, forth cracks I send,

With me share... your very act of seeing,

Heed slow to this wish, element descend!"

As though in direct response to the softness of the summon, the wind started about the blade as a mere breath of air, before snaking into the cracks with increasing vigor, until the entire flow took residence in the greater portion of the upper building, slowly expanding and contracting, as though breathing within the building... allowing Syaoran to 'see' everything within by manner of sound and feel.

As he closed his eyes for better interior awareness, he clenched his teeth in a show of suppressed anger.

It was worse than he thought.

From what he could perceive, whatever the inside had been, it was no longer. Just as he thought before, the attacks were into the roof and with such fervor as to undermine the building's structural integrity... though only in the one area alone—Syaoran's area. What's more, it seemed as though the entirety of the damaged region rested upon an angled slope with a single stopping point, a point in which his sword now rested. That, and a portion of the roof now sloped inward, effectively eliminating the striking distance between him and the hunter.

Whatever was to happen from this point forward was left completely to the hunter's will.

Still, all the same, he kept his eyes closed and his patience strong. If this was to be a war of wills, then he would not lose like this. Whatever the form, however the approach, the final strike was near... and how he reacted to it was crucial. At the slightest parting of air, he would know everything; position, speed, timing... and such an attack—if any—would be sooner than... no. It would be—

—now!

With all his might, Syaoran forced himself hard upon his already screaming arm sockets, and hoisted himself high above his hands—which never left the safety of his sword's hilt—and downwards with a force accentuated by both weight and gravity, in a process that should he slip in time or act, would prove most dire. But contrary to what could be, instead, Syaoran succeeded in what is and managed to not only accomplish his act, but to do so just prior to the enemy attack which had just begun to break through the wall. Where in mere milliseconds, not only did the tip of the sword shift, but in so kind of a fashion that the dual-blade attack cleaved through the air no more than a hair's breadth above Syaoran's falling form, without so much as a paper cut upon his face.

Returned to normal time, Syaoran and his sword swung down as the blades passed harmlessly above, tearing two great paths across the building's face, before disappearing from whence they came. Though partially loose, even as the building failed around him, Syaoran's sword remained lodged in the side, and at such an angle that left him pressed to the wall with almost no hold whatsoever.

Forget just the hold... with the building as it was... as he was, what could he do to avoid anything? Even now, despite his best effort to release himself from the advance, there was nothing left for him. As he was now, barely holding with the one hand as the other kept the incantation paper steady—so he could maintain the manipulation which was the only hold upon the building—what could he do?

He—

His paused in thought as he was engulfed in light.

_What?_

From somewhere in the night, with such an intensity...

He twisted about to see what looked like a towering pillar of blue fire as it plunged into the blackness of the night's sky, its energies radiating outward on the clouds as would ripples dance across the surface of a pond.

With such raw intensity... what could it be?

_Sakura?_

No... It wouldn't be her. The light came from the south and she was in the north.

A new attack then... something they hadn't seen as yet? Or was it...?

His eyes widened.

It could be _that_, no, it probably was _that_. And if that was the case... but if he was wrong...

No matter, he had to chance it.

Knowing full well the consequences to come, Syaoran removed the wind incantation paper for favor of a fire one, and simply held it there. Without the paper for the wind and his failing strength, he wouldn't be able to maintain his spell of before. Which meant that the building slab above was soon to be denied support.

He smiled.

As though on cue, a great shudder wracked the slab as it fought against the force which had denied its descent, just before the heaping behemoth slid down the angle that ended just above the dangling Syaoran. A Syaoran that should he do nothing, would surely be crushed between it and the rest of the building as its immense weight dragged it street-wards. Should it be left alone...

Of course, where would be the point?

Without excess energy wasted upon specific incantation, Syaoran directed a massive well of fire through the bottom of the slab with an explosive result that rained broken fiery and otherwise incinerated pieces of building around the surrounding area in a momentary but brilliant flare of fury that left him all but depleted. Using what little strength he had, he held his sword unable to do anything else, hoping that his recent effort went without waste as he stared up at the hollowed section of the building just above him.

He hoped resolve would be soon. But what he didn't for was the sound of a footfall just before the newly created building ledge.

"Magnificent." Floated down the voice of the hunter as he regarded Syaoran with something less than sincere, expressing an emotion with almost no feeling at all. "But completely excessive."

"Heh." Started Syaoran with a smirk as he regarded the hunter above. "One might say that about bringing down a building top too."

"Maybe. But..." he trailed off as he surveyed the surrounding night's sky... eyes lingering upon the site of the now faded blue pillar. "With none left to comment then one's usage of excess is lost to words. If the job is done, then that's all that should matter."

"True enough."

"Then," Ka-sari raised his forearms; the blades rested upon them interlocked with the chain bounded delivery system. "...with this let my task fall complete."

Just as the hunter loosed the bladed chains towards his adversary below, the voice of another rang from somewhere above, in the form of an indecipherable battle cry, just before the area surrounding the hunter erupted into the all engulfing flames of an inferno. Heat which came not from Syaoran, but another, which caused enough of a path deviation that instead of striking Syaoran, the bladed weapon instead struck that which held his sword. An impact which also scattered balls of the newly distributed fire splayed every which direction. One of which collided with the now falling Syaoran, and flared briefly into a much larger flame... just before a tired—but truly grateful—smile crossed Syaoran's lips.

"Took you long enough... Fuzz-ball."

"I'm glad to see you're all right as well." Said the bulky original form of Kerberos beneath him as they soared low through the building lined streets. "So any ideas where to?"

Syaoran's eyes paused briefly on the rapidly displaced inferno of Kero's creation, noting that the hunter was no longer there, before turning his attention back to the question.

"Where to? That's easy.

"To Shiba. To Sakura."

* * *

In response to Faski's words, unsubstantial as they were, Sakura leapt backwards as he—in a movement faster than the Enforcers could track, let alone react to—took the staff in both hands and twisted hard. Where just like the time before—and in accordance to the violation of the magical artifact—a great outward fire nova quickly swept the area, leaving the Enforcer's of before like deer in headlights. Where by simply logic, was the place that came before death. 

And that... that Sakura just couldn't have.

In a movement even faster than the rapidly expanding sphere of flame, she threw her hand out to the side and invoked the magic of Earthy, easily sealing the entire area by walls of rock up to a meter thick, before being engulfed completely by the maw of fire upon her.

A moment later, both she and Faski emerged from the rampant fires virtually untouched by the blaze around them as it lost its intensity and faded away.

"If that was the best you can do," stated Sakura with a downcast expression. "Then let me show you something on par with that level!"

With that, she rushed forward with her sword brandished in front and struck out with wild fervor, placing seemingly random attacks against his staff, each hit responsively igniting its own fiery after-effect.

"Bitch!" cried Faski annoyed as he backed away in anger. "What are you doing?"

"Annoying you. Naturally."

Faski sneered and ran his hand across his staff inducing a flame whip response. "Piss off." He stated simply as he whipped it in her direction, before swinging it back around. Each pass leaving deep scores in the earth-replaced-street beneath them.

"Ha!" Laughed Sakura as the pieces of flame easily splashed off her shielding. "That's the best you can do? Try harder, Dipshit!"

At that spur, Faski put his hand to his staff once again, only to have Sakura jump in and invoke a defensive position from the hunter.

"What are you doing?" asked Sakura annoyingly. "I said to TRY HARDER!

"If you really need an example, then I'd say it's like... THIS!"

At that, a viscous wind descended upon him and lashed out with precision strikes that mimicked razor slashes, tearing clothing and skin from his body before dissipating once again.

"Like that, got it?"

"Tch..." he spat as he raised his staff yet again. "Like this..." He rammed the end of his staff in the ground causing a massively fast moving streak of fire that nearly bowled her over. "Or..." he hesitated before pointing behind and above her, at something in the sky. "Like that?"

Given the needed to look even if it was a trap, Sakura cast a glance from the side of her eye only to catch the trailing end of a massive pillar of blue energy as it disappeared into the sky from just beyond the tower. Though most wouldn't assume to know exactly... she definitely recognized it with but a look.

_Shi. Those idiots._

"Not like that." She stated simply. "Definitely not." She paused as she turned back around to watch the last of the energy dissipate.

"Then what?" coaxed her adversary from behind her. "How about..."

She appeared to zone out a moment, which suddenly opened another world of possibility. Slave to opportunity, as well as an easy moment, Faski suddenly rushed her from behind, hand raised, staff ready, only to watched with a baffled expression as she jumped backwards—disappeared—and his visual world shifted back to the one of a few seconds ago.

"Wha-? Where?"

"Inside-outside loop. And behind."

Just as Faski recognized the location of the voice, it was too late.

For when he attempted to turn around, it was at that moment she was upon him... in the next moment she had his weapon blocked and raised with her left hand, and then thrust her right hand forward, and into his very stomach. Not stopping with just the penetration of skin, she used a shotgun effect with shot while deep inside, negating any chance of survival as he dropped his weapon to the ground with a clatter, and grabbed the protruding part of her arm.

"L-like this... I guess..." he said chokingly as blood seeped from his mouth.

"No." she said flatly. "Not unless..." She moved her hand up into his lower chest cavity and cursed. "Dammit."

"I-i-isn't... th-that... m-my line?" Faski finished as he fell backwards onto the dark, lightless world of the earthen arena of her creation.

Sakura looked at her blood covered hand as Faski's freshly dead carcass began to shift into the shadows, even his fallen weapon and the blood on her hand, until there were no traces left behind.

"No..." she stated bitterly as she looked at the place his body had been. "It's certainly mine."

* * *

Eriol sighed as he watched Hiru's body shift away in the darkness. In the end, as it was, it seemed as though they could do nothing to find the locations of the artifacts upon or within the hunter's body. He wondered if any of the others had any luck. Surely if no one else, Sakura definitely. 

Well, he supposed it all came down to their rendezvous. Should the others have survived as well... everything would be known at that time.

For now, all they could do was wait. Whether they awaited the next hunter, or the next ally... it was all they could do.

"Eriol..."

"Tomoyo?"

"What's that over there?" Tomoyo asked as she pointed skyward towards the southwest, where just over the trees there was a blue light against the sky.

"That? That is nothing good.

"Rather, all things considering, it could be exceptionally bad."

* * *

Tired and weakened, Vijari slumped against a building and slid down to the sidewalk. 

Given the nature of his injuries, even a life or two... should he come across them, may not be enough to restore him completely. And even with the nature of the sky... with all its energies, it was too far and too diverse to—

His thoughts trailed off as a blue light broke the southern horizon, and plunged into the energy rich sky above. An energy with which he was well familiar with.

And for that reason alone... he smiled.

* * *

A/C 1/28/07: This has been long over due. I apologize to all the people who held their breaths only to pass out from lack of air. For whatever reason, 2006 was not kind to me at all as none of this chapter or the last one was written in '06. This chapter was completely written this month, most of it in the last week (7,000 words of it written in the last week) for whatever reason I was able to write it. Who knows?

I hope people are still enjoying this story. It'd be nice to know who's still out there... but now I'm talking too much. Later.


	36. Regroup

Chapter 36: **Regroup **

'_Rather, all things considering, it could be exceptionally bad.'_

Eriol's words hung vividly in the still of the evening as the last glimmer of blue light from the pillar of minutes before faded into the already energy saturated sky. Words that made even the last vestige of serenity stagnate and uncomfortable.

"Eriol." Said Spinel Sun simply, though concern for his innermost thoughts hung loosely on his voice.

Despite his name being uttered softly into the all encompassing quiet of the moment, he made no motion of acknowledgement, his eyes resting solely upon the greater part of the city beyond. More specifically... over the city, and into the uncertain sky.

"Bad?" uttered Tomoyo meekly behind him—all vehemence of times prior completely resting in the past. She parted company which Ruby Moon, and moved to Eriol's side. "What's bad?"

"Magic likes magic." Eriol murmured, more to himself than the others.

"Eh?"

"I'm sure you remember the discussions from before. That magic will seek other magic and thus is the reason for the massive influxes of atmospheric magical energies." He sighed. "That aside, if a strong independent mass of magical energy emerges from any one source... it will become a focal point, a destination if you will."

Tomoyo tucked back a stray strand of hair absently.

"Destination..."

"Yes. That and the focal energy is not only relatively close to the hunters' intended siphon point, but is now tainted with an energy in which they are already completely integrated. This and the anomalies already in effect..."

"Anomalies?" asked Tomoyo. "Like what?"

"Physical distortions and energy behavioral dissonance. Among other things." Eriol paused a moment in thought of explanation. "For example..." he pointed at the trees next to him, with their leaves rustling and branches swaying, before gesturing to a nearby pond and the small waves that lapped the edges. "The trees and the water..."

"I don't understand..." said Tomoyo softly. "because of the wind?"

"And what wind is there?"

Tomoyo stopped and put her hand to the air, then looked around at her allies. Even in a small breeze one would expect to feel something... even see hair moving. But nothing among them moved because there was nothing to move it in the calm of the night.

Her eyes swung from the water and the trees, to the greater part of the city beyond, where among the taller buildings, lights at the top stories were flickering and even dying out.

"Then...?"

"This is only the beginning."

"If we don't stop the hunters here?" asked Ruby Moon for Tomoyo, for seemed mesmerized beyond speech.

Eriol turned to face her for a moment, before setting his eyes upon the sky once again.

"Then we can expect the worst."

* * *

Vijari held his eyes skyward and smiled despite the persistent pain that coursed through his being. 

Even if he had no way of tapping into it now, he could feel the revitalizing energy of the sky licking at his every fiber, coaxing him to move forward... urging him to take it for his own. But to be coaxed to that extent—he didn't need. Certainly, regardless of his state now, he would plunge into it in due course.

It was his destiny.

Now however, he was in need of the energies of the living, before partaking of the energies of the fallen and forgotten.

If only he had been stronger, then he would have taken both life forces of the enemy he had just left behind those minutes ago... but there was no reason to dwell upon that now. No, he thought as he closed his eyes to the slowly numbing pain in his wounds, to dwell when there was need for action was simply not allowed.

With his intentions decided in full, he made a great effort to stand—using the side of the nearest building to stabilize his ascent. That's right... were he to remain sitting now, he'd die for certain.

And that just wasn't acceptable.

Exerting great effort, he moved away from his own support in a direction that was of his favor—a direction in which he heard voices.

* * *

Elsewhere, cold and lying lifeless in a heap were the bodies of Touya with Yue beneath him. 

While it hadn't been long since the leader hunter's departure, it certainly wasn't to their mutual benefit. Even with what wounds they gave him, he would heal them... such was inevitable. And while his wounds were to heal, were theirs to remain open?

So it seemed. As such it seemed that they were just that much closer to their deaths, all the more given were a hunter to appear before them. At this point, with slits for eyes that stared blankly out into the darkness, it was all Touya could do as he fought for consciousness, that should someone appear, he was at least aware of it... especially if it were the end.

The end... the thought of it hung bitterly upon the edge of his awareness. It was true, that even with the powers leant to him that he could do naught but remain in this state of helplessness, while his partner and friend—whose body lay crippled beneath his own—was of an even worsened state of being. An ally he could neither help nor mourn if it came to that conclusion. He was that helpless.

He blinked as somewhere just beyond his field of vision glowed a familiar color of lavender and footsteps fell upon the ground. His heart began to beat faster.

_Not... not like this. Not now..._

"Still alive...? Surprising, with what state you're in one could assume otherwise. Well, I guess I'll just have to make it such that assumptions are no longer needed."

* * *

Tomoyo bit her lip as she stared at the uncertain sky. Although she had already calmed herself of her own darkness during the fight in the alley, she had come to terms with the scope of her feelings when submerged within the surreal atmosphere of the magically saturated air that surged above them all. Just by being unaccustomed to the feel of it, even a moment subjected to a passing strand of radiant energy made her feel as though she had suffered it for minutes on end, so sensitive to it. Sensitivity that made the powerful quick feel so long... it explained everything. 

At that time with the card... where she felt subjected to the eternity that was Clow's past wasn't that she had been present and bore witness, but had merely glimpsed the essence of it and that the power was so beyond her, that she had in that instant felt like she had been confined for that length of time. Just the realization of the bare minimum facts made it all come to light. That the darkness Clow and all the cards had derived power from was simply so raw and dominating that her sensitive non-magical self couldn't handle it. What she had thought and said to be Sakura's fault was a lie.

She herself had been wrong all along.

All along... and Sakura said nothing to convince her otherwise—had said nothing but instead took it in and shouldered it all. That she had succumbed to the darkness that the hunters were had to be a lie, a construct that allowed her a chance to distance herself from the care of her entire support network. But for what purpose? What was it that she was hiding from them still?

It had to be something big. That, or it had to be something that was just that painful.

A lone tear streaked down her cheek as her unblinking eyes continued to stare about the city skyline. A network of blue-tinted white lines arced across in intervals towards the center mass of the teeming confusion. She wasn't sure based on her limited knowledge of the phenomena, but it looked as though it was getting worse.

"Tomoyo." Eriol called out softly from somewhere behind.

"Eh?" she blinked as she turned to face him.

"It's not good to dwell on such thoughts, particularly when they seemed based upon regret. Especially when before battle."

She hesitated with words as he wiped away her tear with a pro's accuracy, perhaps something he had gained experience while with Mizuki.

"I-" blushed Tomoyo as her hand went to her cheek on its own, as though to conceal the red, "it's nothing really..." she said carefully trying to find the right words. "No, actually, thank y—"

"Eriol!" Interrupted Spinel Sun's voice in a soft yet alerting tone. "Kerberos is low in the Southern sky; it looks like Syaoran is with him."

Eriol turned towards the south and spied the bit of white that represented Kerberos' wings against the darkness. "I see. Let us go meet them."

"Ah..." Tomoyo uttered as he started away. She almost didn't want for him to go, but to see at least a few of the others alright was a blessing in itself. Even more to see Kerberos bearing Syaoran... what circumstances led to that? It must have been something quite memorable.

She sighed. What she wouldn't give for a video recorder right about now.

"I'm glad you two are safe," sounded Eriol's voice, as he welcomed the two as they came to a landing upon the ground before him. Where upon touching down, Kerberos sunk to his stomach in such a fashion that Syaoran effortlessly rolled off to the side, looking more like discarded luggage than a passenger. Both were equally exhausted and covered by numerous injuries, none of which were life-threatening.

"Although it is good to see both of you alive, it is rather unfortunate that whatever trouble you had come across forced you into doing something most troublesome." Eriol said as he regarded the southern sky that had bourn the light pillar all those minutes before. I suppose with whatever circumstance presented itself, such a thing couldn't be helped."

Syaoran cast a look to the rug of a beast that had carried him the moments before, as he pulled himself into a one-kneed kneeling position, distributing most of his weight upon his sword which he had already planted in the ground before him. "That aside..." Syaoran started as he clutched a few of the exposed abdominal wounds at his side, "the atmosphere here is rather calm considering. What of the hunters? What of the others? Sakura...?"

"The hunters have yet to breach the barrier. I believe it safe to assume that you two have dispatched at least one hunter between you, we destroyed one just before, the rest... we don't know yet. The hope was that if not you, the others would bring information valuable for our efforts.

"At most I was hopeful that Sakura would have found a viable method for artifact extraction, thus aiding in our efforts to decrease their strength, but perhaps that is too much to hope for now. I'm afraid that the time allotted to us for this endeavor has nearly reached a critical point... and that the energy saturation of this region has already tipped the scales in a dangerous direction.

"I'm afraid that if we don't stop the hunters at this next point, then..."

A sudden outpour of lavender light bathed them all as a breach in space opened up in the form of a portal exactly as those used by the hunters, where the silhouettes of three figures began to emerge from within, causing most gathered to lurch in tired anticipation.

"If that happens..." came a voice that forced pause among all to hear it.

"...We may never stop them at all." Finished Sakura as she stepped onto the grass. The limp forms of Touya and Yue supported at her sides.

"Sakura..." whispered Syaoran uncertainly. Though he was happy to see her alright, it was only a physical representation of his love, since what truly mattered seemed lost already behind an uncaring mask of ruthless darkness. Just seeing her now filled him with mixed emotions.

"Though your intended change was to make you stronger in the end," started Eriol in a light humored voice. "It certainly did nothing to accelerate your promptness for rendezvous."

"Heh," laughed Sakura in a slightly annoyed fashion. "I had to take time to heal these two here," she motioned to her brother and guardian before setting them on the ground. "It couldn't be helped."

"Aside from the preservation of our numbers," said Eriol casually, "what did you learn in your battle with the hunters?"

"Che..." Sakura thought to the fight and her inability to extract any of the fragments. "To collect the artifacts, it's already nigh impossible while they live, but in death it is equally difficult if they shift away. However, if we trap the corpse in a shadow-less environment, it should increase our chances of recovery, and to delay the process of regeneration, though to force regeneration is to drain their leader, so the process is encouraged since it is dubious whether we could keep a light prison solid while still fighting the others."

"I see." Murmured Eriol. "Though if the number was low we could force our hand.

"How quickly could we assume the downed hunters' regeneration?"

"It depends on how seriously injured the leader is, but since these two were still alive after facing him, it can be assumed that they dealt him enough damage that he should be preoccupied with his own body before he is at all able to worry about the restoration of his kin."

"Then we'll use that to our advantage, preferably before he restores himself, but most certainly before he manages to penetrate the barrier. However, we'll have to get to him quickly, with the atmospheric energy saturated by that of his own energy, he should be able to manipulate it that much easier with but a little more strength."

"That..." groaned Syaoran as he attempted to pull himself to his feet. "And he still has Ka-sari alive to intercept us, who is virtually uninjured." Syaoran turned his face in bitter resentment to the very fact. "Much due to my own fault."

"Another worry that does us no justice." Eriol said without compassion. "If you feel bitter about it now, just remember to do something about it after Sakura heals your injuries. Which we should all get done quickly, as time is of the essence." He glanced over to Sakura, who was staring past the surrounding trees to the rest of the city. "How's that?"

"It works."

* * *

Elsewhere, as the fires from battles prior began to abate, medical teams backed by enforcer units worked frantically to excavate and ferry as many people living from the ruins of what used to be buildings as quickly as possible. Even though these 'dead' areas were free from the unknown disturbances of the moment, it did nothing to calm the already frayed nerves and disheartened spirits of those unfortunate enough to be confined to the streets. Although human and unaware, the strong energies of the sky above had begun weighing heavily upon already unstable souls. 

Under concealment of darkness, a nearby presence watched as another armored support vehicle already filled to maximum capacity thundered away into the night, leaving just a handful of those who had stayed to help others in need, the doctors and field medical staff, and a small scattering of enforcers. Having already suffered grave losses and unaccounted for absences, their nerves were the most frayed, as they themselves had already killed a few unfortunate civilians who had come across the wrong way. Just bad luck on their part.

"How much longer until this site is clear?" asked the closest enforcer to the med unit.

"Not much longer now." Stated the medical personnel in a downcast tone. He lowered his voice for the next statement. "I'm afraid that the entire bottom two floors are too severe, if there's a chance that anyone is alive... if these were normal conditions, we'd do everything possible, but now..."

"I understand." Without attempt at consoling words or awkward air, he turned about and gave a hand signal to his partner across the way. The message was simple and not at all difficult to follow. It was time to wrap it up.

As the med unit began to escort those of the last few survivors towards the last support vehicle, the lone enforcer began to sweep the perimeter for any last signs of life before calling it quits.

It was horrible... these things. Though he thought he would be used to it, since he was no stranger to the battle field, he just couldn't believe this to be a domestic scene. Here where the buildings were as though they were shelled to the point of collapse, where the light of common electric was replaced with that of fire as a cold atypical of the summer months caused his breath to hang visibly on the air. That and the feel of the air was strange and made him sick, not so much as the blood and other scatterings of fluids upon the ground. It made him think of cattle in a slaughter yard, and not so much his beloved city.

Just as it was now, it was no longer the city he knew it to be.

He was just about to turn away when his foot lost traction on a bit of ground, causing him to slide a bit. Curious, he swung his gun downward, the attached light illuminating the ground at his feet. Blood. Like the rest of it. But...

He bent down for closer inspection.

This blood was fresh, and from a free flowing source, as it was still flowing across the ground.

He swung his light across the ground and up the small trickle in search of the source, more from morbid curiosity than from hopes of finding anyone still living. However, when his light washed over the body, just tucked within the shadows of a nearby alleyway, he had found much more than he had expected.

The body... this body, was much bigger than the average person. The guy could be a wrestler, for certain. However, that in size alone was certain, but what was a person like this doing here? There didn't seem to be anyone aside from the norm, so it was a bit suspicious... all the more so with the majority of his body covered by what looked to be rags at first was something closer to a... cloak?

He stepped back as though confronted with an unknown pathogen hung upon still air.

Was this person actually homeless? That such a large individual could survive on the meager offerings of street life was beyond the absurdity of the joke. If not that then, perhaps he had dragged himself from the building?

The enforcer swept his light over the ground from the direction he had come. The blood was still there, but only having flowed there. There were no signs other than his foot prints that anything had disrupted the flow. Then... this body was from somewhere else?

He swept the light down the alley. There was no truth of blood there either, but then where?

He moved the light on that of the body.

Upon closer inspection, he found a large patch of crimson soaked through the material of the cloak—somewhere around where an arm would rest? If true, then there was a possibility that the injury wasn't fatal. Using the end of the gun barrel, he pushed the cloth to the side and gasped in sickened silence.

His arm...

His arm—if it could be called an arm—was free of its crude sling and hanging partially in pieces at his side, large chunks of flesh obviously charred, split, and—in some cases—pulled away from the bone. That such a wreckage even be called an arm was pushing it.

Suddenly the body shifted without warning, causing a very nerve weary enforcer to back so hard he slammed into the alley wall behind him and dropped his weapon with an echoing clatter at the ground beside him.

That the body moved—was the body he thought a corpse alive!?

Forgetting his momentary fear, he dropped to his knee quickly and set his hands upon where the shoulders sat, where he hoped to get response.

"You there... can you hear my voice... are you conscious!?"

"Ah." Came the man's reply, though weak, it had the sound of someone that still had enough life left that he could risk asking movement without much difficulty, else salvage this time may be out of the realm of possibility.

"Good, then stay with me. I don't know how you managed to get yourself this far with such severe injuries, but you can relax, we'll get you out of here.

"Wait a moment."

The enforcer retracted his hands and activated his intercom link to his fellow, explained the situation and position, then ended the call. Then he readdressed the man before him.

"If you think you can move, additional aid will be here shortly. And then we can get out of this place." He glanced around nervously, the eerie sense of peculiarity weighing heavily on him as he waited for his partner's arrival. The sooner he could get this guy and the others out, the better for all of them.

"I..."

The enforcer paused at the man's voice. Was he really going to make it?

"I... think I'll stay here... actually."

"Eh? You'd stay... but risk your life in doing so? Don't you want your arm treated?"

At that, the man smiled as his chilling eyes locked onto the eyes of the enforcer before him with a look of absolute confidence. "I'd stay..." he said softly, squaring his body more soundly to look at the other before him. "But not with question of life... but that of my arm...?"

Without warning or expectation, using his bloodied and corpse-like arm, shot his hand out and clenched the other man's face to his palm, the meeting of flesh colliding between each other accompanied with a sickening splattering sound. Where with surprising strength, didn't even think to release his would-be-savior though met with such adversity.

"About the arm..." the lead hunter said as a white glow began to emanate from between serrated palm and captive face, a smile forming upon his battered face as the skin began to pale and re-attach itself to the bone once again.

"About this arm... I thank you for the treatment."

* * *

Elsewhere, a large lavender opening in the fabric of reality heralded the arrival of Sakura and the others, not far from the edge of the barrier itself. The loud squelch from the displaced air pushed against the magically saturated air and caused the resulting push to wash through the immediate surrounding area, causing a rippling effect evident in the series of flickers of light in street lamps and buildings down the line. 

"Well..." stated Syaoran with a look of tired amusement. "Whether magically oriented or not, everyone will know we're here now."

"Can't be helped." Said Eriol with his standard matter-of-fact attitude. "At least we won't have to search the woodwork as thoroughly before the bugs come to us."

"So what's the plan from here?" asked Kerberos without much appreciation for the dry humor. He cast a look one way towards Eriol, and the other way towards Sakura, uncertain which to consult first. "Shall we split into groups once again, or—"

"A division in power is meaningless at this point." Sakura said bluntly. "To cover a vast area isn't necessary now. Since we are in the vicinity of the lead hunter, it is best to concentrate the strength of our force directly against the weakening in the pillar."

"Should the leader fall, they all will." Eriol said as though to finish her unsaid thoughts, as well as to dispel any latent confusion. "Besides, it would only be luck if we were to confront the leader directly as one, now."

"Why's that?" asked Tomoyo as she came beside him.

"Ah. That's because..." Eriol started, though he stopped mid-thought as the presence all too familiar to him cascaded through the air around them. Exactly according to their predictions prior.

He, like Sakura before him, forced his eyes skyward as a voice drifted down from above them.

"That...

"That is simply because he knows that I am here to prevent such a scenario from ever unfolding." Sounded Ka-sari's voice as he looked down from his position on the rooftop edge three stories above them. His shoulder-mounted blades glowed with an ominous shade of an all-too familiar blue color. Like the epitome of calm, he seemed to only look down upon what numbers they now possessed as that of the group on a whole. "From one who has held sway over my body once before, he only knows the shell of what my true power amounts to, and holds the fear over the potential if released in full."

"Tch..." Syaoran sounded through clenched teeth as he raised his sword edge higher. "Ka-sari..."

"A power that is made all the greater when not dispersed over and throughout the rest of my family. Though..." he regarded the energy saturated night sky for a moment before returning his gaze to those beneath him, "if all goes well tonight, then it will be a power easily achieved not only by I, but all in my extended family as well.

"But before that happens, I would consider myself blessed if only to see but for a moment the true strength of another whose shell has only been seen thus far. Although I wonder if even I am enough to be deserving of such a sight."

Ka-sari shrugged off a laugh as the shoulder blades slid to their forearm mount position and interlocked with the chain delivery system beneath it, before flashing a smile uncharacteristic of his person.

"Well... of that I'll just have to find out... won't I?"

* * *

The second enforcer who had arrived moments after the demise of the first now rejoined his comrade upon the alley floor. Both men—living men no longer—decorated the already blood strewn concrete as mere hollowed uniforms, as their stolen essence had reduced them to mere bones, of which were already eroding and escaping with the wind. 

They were good, and served their purpose well, for the strong are always above that of the weak for purposes involving the re-growth of lost flesh. Flesh of which had been restored to the weakened Vijari by re-supplying him of his own energy reserves by breaking down and converting the flesh of others to that very needed energy.

However, this by itself was nothing more than a moment's triumph.

With a scowl, Vijari regarded the still motionless relief vehicle and the medical personnel busy with the treatment of those inside, as well as those still at another site altogether.

If he were at full strength, such weak life energies he'd pass up without a second thought. But as he was now...

...tonight the weak would have to do.

That, and the best of his most trusted... he would have to do his part as well.

And then the night was theirs... the night, just before that of the world.

* * *

"Scatter!" 

It was a simple warning but given the timing, it was all Sakura could do before the bladed chain attack struck the ground amidst her and her company, a discharge of energy causing the ground to rupture around them, making standing next to impossible, fire and water abundant with the ruptured mains beneath the street. Ascertaining her own safety was easy enough, but for everyone else, she didn't have the time to check.

But what was that attack?

Without further warning of intent, Ka-sari had acted almost as spontaneously as Faski, yet with much greater effect, using the short lived vertical dive from the building as means of heightening his bladed chain attack, coupling its destructive damage with whatever new effect his 'full' ability bestowed upon him. However, instead of following through with his assault, he instead anchored himself to the side of the building with a second bladed chain and repelled off the side to get into a new position, though leaving the first bladed chain where it landed, his item to regenerate metals quickly producing a replacement set of that which he lost.

To Sakura, who had little patience of late, it was extremely annoying.

However, before she could think through the next step, Ka-sari had renewed his attack once again, this time in favor of striking at her directly once he had twisted free of his preset tether. With the added momentum generated from twist, the blade soared effortlessly full frontal; with a secondary strike set to catch her from the side should she try to avoid it. But that's only if she truly wanted to avoid. For her, it was just as simple to—

She had just barely raised her hand to defend herself when a hint of steel flashed before the front, and a generation of crystalline shielding resulted in a dual explosion of sparks and magic with a resulting cover of dust and debris that obscured her view completely. But that didn't mean she didn't know the ones who stepped in.

"You two..."

"Sa... Sakura!" grunted Syaoran as he not only staved off the attack's momentum, but the discharged energy as well. "Like you or not... accept you or not... I-I don't have a choice as of the moment!" he said heavily as he flung the blade aside and parried the excess chain that carried through. "But... But!!" He declared as though the act pained him to do so. "I have accepted that you are most aware of yourself, and though you close yourself off from us, you do it for a reason!

"Show me... show us that reason! And maybe you can remember how to accept your heart once again."

Sakura stared at him for a moment, as though without all thought of feeling, as she considered his words. That if she was thinking of the words, by her expression it was a wonder if she had even heard them.

"I... I guess not then?" Syaoran asked half exasperated. His blade remained hanging on the air as he awaited the next strike. Perhaps he spoke too soon? Though he had started to wonder... perhaps it was too late for her after all?

But could he actually give up entirely... that's where his thoughts were starting to reside when he heard something he hadn't heard in quite a while. A Sakura-ish sigh.

"Eriol?" she questioned, though her voice was still far from what the gentle her should be.

Eriol watched as the lights on the taller buildings continued to die and turned back to her.

"He's on to you I suppose. Though sooner than I would have thought."

"At least partially." Sakura stated with a hint of smile.

Syaoran's eyes flickered to her form as a drop of sweat rolled down his forehead. Was he hearing right?

_Then?!_ Tomoyo thought hopefully. Was this to say that there was something more to it after all?

"Considering normal circumstances," Eriol said calmly, "I would definitely advise against it.

"But now that our time is as it is... it might be our only option left to us."

Syaoran felt the strain of metal against his sword slacken.

Was the hunter so interested that he had become lax in his attack? Or was he redoubling? Switching targets...?

"If that's how it is..." she said as all eyes save Syaoran's drew near her and away from the foe at hand. "Then..."

In a split second, Ka-sari had redirected his feint attack at the distracted Yue, and Syaoran was too far away to intercede, the blade accelerating towards a direct mark. And then—! Yue was on the ground, and the blade rested in Sakura's bare hand!

She smiled as she tilted her head in an almost bored manner as she stared down the length of the chain to the hunter on the other end.

"...So be it."

* * *

A/C (9/27/07): Long time delay... not so long chapter. But I've since changed a whole aspect of this next step from my original plans, so it needs to be special. 


End file.
